Escape from Hell Fire
by Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
Summary: Alan and Fermat are best friends and brothers in arms. Christmas break is right around the corner, but when a fire breaks out at Wharton's school for boys how will the two cope with any injuries they have sustained. The family is going to have their hands full and it leads to an investigation of how the fire was started after curfew. Was it accidental or intentional?
1. Operation: Fiery Inferno

'It hurt. The pain was excruciating. His lungs felt like they would burst into flames. His throat felt no better. His eyes felt dry and he coughed viciously to try to clear his airways. The orange glow was so blinding. He felt arms around his shoulders. Whoever was holding on to him was stumbling just as much as he was. He was so disoriented. The person holding his shoulders guided him away from the hot orange glow and he faintly heard coughing. There was a deafening roar surrounding him and the next thing he knows he and whoever is holding him are being doused with freezing cold water. He is able to hear a voice shouting at him that they must run. He knew the dorm was on fire. It dawned on him who was standing under the torrent of ice cold water with him. It was his best friend and roommate Fermat Hackenbacker.'

Fermat awoke to his inability to breathe. He opened his eyes to be blinded by the bright orange glow of flames. He froze as he looked around frantically for his roommate and best friend. He spotted him lying on their dorm floor clutching at his throat struggling to breathe. He jumped up and knelt by his fallen friend. Gathering him in his arms he practically drug Alan to the bathroom. Slamming the bathroom door and shoving a bunch of towels in front of the bottom of the door, Fermat shoved his friend into the bath tub. Turning on the shower to the coldest water available, Fermat climbed in as well. He knew if they were going to attempt to run through the fiery inferno they must be doused with water to avoid severe burns. He grabbed two wash clothes and got them wet before tying one around Alan's face then following suite. He glanced down at his watch and decided it was emergency enough to contact their family. Manipulating the buttons the emergency signal was activated.

John sat stationed up in Thunderbird 5. He was currently star gazing. He loved being up in orbit for the most part. The only thing he wished could be changed was that he wished he could be closer to his family. God only knows how much he missed them. Jeff his father and founder of International Rescue or if you followed their codename Thunderbirds. Jeff was the integral aspect of IR. Then there was his older brother Scott. He and his younger brothers often referred to Scott as the mother-hen of the family. Then there was Virgil, the aspiring medic of the family. Virgil was much like John in the sense that he had an easy-going nature. However all the Tracy boys carried the famous Tracy temper. When one pissed off Virgil, you had better watch your back. Sometime his temper could be scarier than Scott's or their father's. Gordon was the next boy. Gordon was the Olympian of the family. He was a successful champion of the swimming division in the Olympics and he also was a previous member of WASP. The little prankster was a cherished albeit annoying member of the family. Last but not least was the Tracy boy's favorite baby brother. Alan Tracy. A 14 year old boy with one hell of a wicked sense of humor and very sharp minded. Regardless if he never applied himself wholly in his classes at Wharton's the family knew how smart Alan was. Yeah he missed his family, but he missed his baby brother the most. Regardless of the age difference, he and Alan had so much in common. Both the only blonds in a family of brunettes save for Gordon who had an interesting shade of copper hair.

His reflection was broken by the shriek of an alarm. Wheeling over to pull up his monitor, he blanched when he saw that the alarm was sounding from Fermat's watch. He panicked when he noticed Alan's was not coming up. Fearing the worst, he activated the monitor to Fermat's watch and his pupils dilated when he saw an image of Fermat covering his face with a dripping washcloth. He heard coughing coming from two sources. Fermat started to shout at whoever was coughing. He could hear a loud deafening roar and it drowned out Fermat's voice. He promptly began hollering into his mike in order to get Fermat's attention.

"Fermat! What is the matter? Are you okay?" John watched with baited breath as Fermat opened his eyes and gazed at the watch on his wrist. Closing his eyes he started hacking. He barely managed to get the words "dorm on fire" out before he was coughing again.

John took notice then that the other set of coughing had never stopped. He recognized the cough as Alan's. Being a big brother he had his share of tending to sick little brothers. He noticed the screen kept fading from dark to light. He realized the source of coughing must be smoke!

"Fermat what is going on? Why are you and Alan coughing? Please answer me!" John pleaded with Fermat to give him an answer. The watch monitor came into focus and Fermat began to shout in order to be heard over the deafening roar of flames. However Fermat's voice kept on occasionally being drowned out by that roar.

"Went to bed…woke up…past curfew…couldn't breathe…dorm…fire…Alan…can't breathe." Fermat dissolved into a coughing fit before he could continue. "Shower…cold water…going to run…4th floor…no fire escape…please help!"

John felt totally helpless. He took notice of another light blinking on his console. Answering it quickly he heard the familiar voice of Wharton's headmaster begging the Thunderbirds to come recue some students trapped by the flames. After getting the coordinates he activated the Klaxon. That was the alert that brought his brothers and father to the office so they could get details on the rescue.

A loud blaring alarm sounded throughout the Tracy Island. The family who had just finished breakfast raced to Jeff Tracy's office to be informed on the nature of the rescue. Upon entering the screen activated and there was the face of the second son in the Tracy family John. His face was pale and he looked frightened. Jeff stepped forward and words started stumbling from John's mouth.

"Alan and Fermat are in danger! Their dorm is on fire! Alan and Fermat woke up to smoke and fire all over their room! They can't breathe! The headmaster said there are trapped students. Fermat activated emergency signal! Begging us to save them! Please you must hurry!"

Jeff and the other Tracy brothers stood there shocked. Jeff immediately jumped into action and hollered "Thunderbirds are go!" The boys all ran to their portraits and prepared for the rescue of Wharton's school. They were not just going for their brother or Fermat, but because the headmaster contacted and just said students were trapped in the blaze. He would have identified if it was one or two students, but he didn't specify so that meant there were more students trapped beside the first two boys. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 we're set for takeoff.

"Okay Scott let's go and save these kids. Under no circumstances are we to reveal our identities as Alan's family. This is strictly professional. Gordon, Virgil is that understood?" Jeff did a quick run through with his sons.

"F.A.B. dad!" The combined replies from the three boys were heard loud and clear, before the birds took off at an even paced speed.

The moment that John signed off from the emergency call, Fermat grabbed Alan's arm and hauled him to his feet. Alan had not stopped coughing. It was beginning to sound very painful. Alan had thrown up at least twice from coughing really hard. Both boys were thoroughly soaked to the bone in the freezing cold water. Their pajamas were plastered to their bodies as they crawled out of the bathtub. Grabbing a wet towel Fermat wrapped it around the door handle. He knew not to grab at the handle in case the flames were on the other side and had heated the metal handle. Grabbing Alan and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Fermat opened the bathroom door and immediately wished he hadn't. The heat from the flames pushed both boys back from the door. Both boys looked at each other and held hands. They knew they were going to run and they didn't want to get separated. Fermat grabbed the towel off the bathroom door handle and he and Alan ran through the flames.

Alan tried not to scream as the flames licked at his skin. He already was unable to breathe, and the increased pain of the flames searing his skin was horrifying. Both boys were barefoot. But Alan was wearing a tank top and lounge pants. Fermat at least had a t-shirt on to cover parts of his arms. Alan could see the pained expression cross Fermat's face as he felt the flames lick at his skin as well. Wrapping the door handle in the towel, both boys braced themselves to be pushed back by a wall of flames. Upon opening the door it was just as they had expected. The hallway glowed ominously with an orange glow and the heat was stifling. Crouching down both boys dropped to their knees in order to get away from the worst of the flames. Crawling as fast as they could they begin navigating toward the stairs that they knew led to the next level. Upon reaching the stairs they stood up and ran down while holding hands.

Dropping to their knees both boys dissolved into a coughing fit again. Overwhelmed by the need to stop and rest, Alan realized that should they do that they will die. After getting their breathing under as much control as they could manage while inhaling smoke and ash they dropped to their knees again and began crawling again. The groan of burning wood could be heard and Alan and Fermat turned when they heard the stairs they just ran down cave in.

Shooting a frightened tearful gaze at each other, they made the decision to run not crawl. Granted they knew the rules that when escaping a fire, they were supposed to remain on their knees and crawl to safety…but it would take too long and they might die quicker. Grabbing hands they both stood up and took off at a sprint. Reaching the staircase in a matter of moments, the boys were terrified to see the stairs engulfed in flames. They would undoubtedly be badly burned by running over those steps but it was a matter of life and death. Burns could heal, death could not. Alan grabbed Fermat and pulled him onto his back. Alan was willing to take the brunt of the burns for his best friend. Fermat struggled before Alan took off at a sprint down the stairwell. Tears ran down Alan's face and he coughed. His feet felt raw and they throbbed worse than his arm when he broke it as a kid. He could faintly smell his flesh burning and as he reached the bottom of the stairs he couldn't take the pain. He collapsed to his knees and started dry heaving. Fermat crawled off his back, and grabbed one of Alan's arms and slung it over his shoulders. Pulling Alan up with him, both boys ran as fast as they could on burned feet. Fermat's feet stung and his leg felt like the muscle was pulling. Fermat was aware that he had a pretty serious burn on his leg. Fermat and Alan both prayed that they made it through the fire and that they would be rescued by the Thunderbirds.

Scott flew Thunderbird 1 as fast as he could. He could see a distant glow of orange in the dark night. It was well after midnight in Massachusetts. He keyed up his mike and spoke to the entire Thunderbird crew.

"ETA is 10 minutes. I can see the school from here. The fire is pretty bad from what I can tell. Have any of you heard from Fermat or Alan recently?" Scott used his commander voice when addressing the Thunderbirds. However everybody could hear the hints of worry and mother hen creeping into his voice.

"Negative on hearing from the boys. I have heard no more from the headmaster either." John's cool and level-headed voice was heard in the mike.

"Scott, Virgil, Gordon hurry! We must get to Wharton's before any lives are lost!" Jeff's worried father/calm commander voice broke the pandemonium running rampant through the boy's heads.

"F.A.B.!" The boys replied before cutting communications.

Fermat kept up an agonizingly slow pace with Alan. Both boys were exhausted and they were in severe pain. Neither could breathe and neither could see properly. They leaned on each other for support and held hands refusing to be separated. They could care less how it might look to the staff and students outside. It was a form of comfort both boys needed at the current time. Alan limped along painfully as his feet throbbed. Alan held his right arm that which was not currently attached to the hand in Fermat's grasp to his chest. His arm was killing him as he was sure it was burnt or cut by the falling beam from earlier. Hell it could even be broken.

The washcloth Fermat tied to his face had long since dried up. But instead of removing a dry washcloth from his face, Alan decided to keep it as a form of barrier between the flames and his painfully scorched lungs and throat. Alan's eyes felt like they were swelling. They burned but he knew not to rub them as the ash and smoke is what is affecting his sight. They were finally on the bottom floor and were hurrying as quick as they could with the injuries sustained. Fermat limped almost as painfully as Alan was doing. He had been hit by the same falling beam that hit Alan earlier except it hit his ankle. So now his feet, ankle and leg hurt. His lungs burned and he kept offering Alan his asthma puffer. Both boys were using it to try to lighten up their heavy breathing. They could faintly hear sirens and knew they were close to freedom. Looking at each other, they tightened their hold on each other's hands and despite their injuries began to run wishing to be free from this hall of flames.

Scott, Virgil and Gordon landed their Thunderbirds and disembarked. They looked around frantically in search of their baby brother Alan and Pseudo-brother Fermat. All they could see were a bunch of tearstained faces and none of the faces were their family. Gordon ran ahead to speak with the headmaster about the locations of the trapped students and to gather how the fire started. Scott and Virgil prepared to run into the fire, when two soot covered bodies came rushing from the flames. Both boys fell to their knees and dropped on their sides to try to stop the flames from burning them more. A loud keening about the pain of the flames that were on their backs could be heard. Scott and Virgil wasted no time in patting out the flames that clung to the boys' forms. Scott and Virgil had no way of knowing that the two boys they were aiding were the boys they were searching for. Their skin was black from ash and their voices were scratchy. Both boys began hacking and coughing. Each inhale sounded like someone was breathing through a straw.

Scott grabbed one boy and Virgil grabbed the other and hauled them away from the fire should the building collapse. The moment the boys were laid on the snow covered ground a fair distance from the burning building, Virgil and Scott wasted no time in removing the washcloths from the boy's faces and placing their personal breathing devices oxygen masks over the injured boy's faces. A thunderous groan could be heard and Scott and Virgil turned in time to see the entire building collapse. They noticed Gordon running towards them from Thunderbird 2 and he was carrying two back boards. Upon arrival Gordon informed them that all the students were accounted for. Nobody was too badly injured except for these two. However they were still unaware that these boys were Alan and Fermat. It was not until the boys were loaded onto the back boards did they make their identities known. As Scott and Virgil lifted the back boards a badly burnt hand shot out from one board reaching for the other. Thankfully the boards had a hover capability so they did not require more than one person to push them. The badly burnt hand gripped the other burnt hand gently.

"…Mat…y'okay?" The taller boy asked as he reached for the companion who ran through the flames with him. Grasping his hand he refused to loosen his group.

"…An…m'fine. How'r you?" The smaller statured boy voiced.

Both boys began coughing harshly and the taller one released the other hand before reaching up and pulled off the oxygen mask before leaning over the edge of the back-board to vomit on the ground below him. Gordon smoothed the soot laden hair away from the taller yet ill/injured male's face. He had told the headmaster he and the other Thunderbirds would give them medical treatment and take them to the hospital if necessary. The headmaster readily agreed, and sent Gordon on his way. As Gordon walked along beside one of the boys, he took notice of a very familiar watch on one of the boy's wrist. However he wanted to attempt to wash some of the ash from these boy's faces before allowing his thoughts to wander to Alan and Fermat. It would not be good for the boys to have the ash on their body. Upon entering Thunderbird 1, both of the injured boys were greeted by a bright light needed to examine their injuries. The medic grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting the clothes of both boys. After removing the injured boy's burnt clothing, Virgil grabbed a moist sponge and began to slowly rub it against the shorter boy's face.

A moan of pain could be heard coming from the taller of the two injured boys. Gordon grabbed another sponge and wet it slightly. Lightly rubbing it across the boy's face, Gordon's eyes widened to discover the face he was washing was none other than his little brother. Two sharp intakes of breath could be heard in the sickbay of Thunderbird 1. Glassy blue eyes opened and gazed around in an attempt to clear his vision. Gordon grabbed the eye wash realizing that Alan probably had debris in his eyes.

"Virgil! I have Alan!" A choked voice said. Another voice responded with "I have Fermat" Hearing the exclamations Scott clenched his jaw in realization that the two boys they had rescued were Fermat and Alan. Both boys were badly burnt and Scott was piloting Thunderbird 1 to the nearest Burn unit hospital. ETA was 1 hour and Scott was not pushing the engines for the turbulence could further harm the injured boys.

Gordon placed a towel just beneath Alan's head and began running the eyewash over his face. The moment the sterilized water got into his eyes Alan began moaning from the burning intensity. After Gordon removed the eye wash, he dabbed gently at Alan's eyes. Alan gazed up into the face of his older brother. Alan began shivering violently from pain and shock, Gordon grabbed a blanket to cover his half naked brother. As the blanket was laid over Alan's quivering form, a breeze that was created by the blanket caused Alan to jerk. A moan could be heard and Virgil stopped what he was doing to Fermat to come look at his little brother. His face paled as he lifted the blanket slightly and observed the burns that covered Alan's legs and feet. They were easily a high grade burn. At the minimum they were 2nd/3rd degree burns. Moving his gaze higher he looked at Alan's chest, shoulders, and neck. They were covered in 1st and 2nd degree burns. Alan's hair was singed and Virgil noticed Alan was not moving his right arm. Pulling the blanket down slightly, Virgil winced when he saw Alan's humerus bone had been broken. He really hated to do what he was about to do. He had to set the bone using forceful traction, and he knew his brother would undoubtedly scream. Turning slightly he ordered Gordon to lightly sedate Fermat and ran forward to inform Scott what he would be doing. As he came back into the infirmary he grabbed the sheath of his combat knife from his belt.

Stepping forward he opened Alan's mouth and placed the sheath in between his teeth. Alan looked around dazedly before gasping for air deeply. After Fermat had been sedated, Virgil ordered Gordon to come and hold Alan down. Gordon felt bile creep up his throat and swallowed thickly realizing the type of pain Alan was about to undergo would hurt like a sonnavabitch but it was unavoidable. Gazing into the frightened, pain filled blue eyes both Virgil and Gordon felt their hearts break. They had never seen their baby brother look as vulnerable as he was currently. Nodding at Gordon, Virgil keyed up his mike to inform John and base that he was currently dealing with an injured individual and that he was shutting off his mike. After breaking the connection between both links Scott, Virgil and Gordon muted their mikes in preparation of the scream that would fill the medi-bay. Should Jeff, or John key in they will not have to hear Alan the baby of the family scream like he was being murdered. Placing one hand on Alan's right wrist and one on his shoulder, Virgil took a deep breath before counting down in his head.

'…_One…Two…Three!' _Virgil pulled hard on Alan's arm and if Alan clenching his jaws on the sheath was no indication of the pain then surely the blood curdling scream was. Scott in the cockpit swallowed thickly himself at hearing his little brother scream like somebody had stabbed him repeatedly. He had never heard any of his brother's scream like that before. Closing his eyes briefly, Scott took a deep breath to calm his fried nerves. After setting the bone with forceful traction, Virgil set about to splint Alan's arm. His face was pale and he felt sick to his stomach after causing his brother such immense pain. Tears lightly ran down his face. However chancing a glance at his other younger brother, Virgil's eyes widened at the sight of Gordon's green shaded face. Grabbing an emesis basin from the cupboard, Virgil thrust it into Gordon's hands as he lost the battle with his stomach.

Gordon faintly remembered hearing his little brother and best friend/partner in crime scream. However that memory only brought the contents of his stomach to the surface and he was vaguely aware of an emesis basin being placed in his hands and he lost the battle with his stomach. After heaving up his breakfast, Gordon was vaguely aware of his brother Virgil guiding him to a chair on the other side of medi-bay. Chancing a glance at Virgil, his gaze wandered back to Alan. The kid still had his jaws clenched tightly around the sheath of his brother's combat knife. Tears streamed in heavy torrents down Alan's face and choked sobs could be heard from the 14 year old. Sweat was dripping down Alan's ashen face and it appeared that his face burned with a fever from either the injuries or exhaustion. Directing his gaze at Alan's other hand he noticed that his knuckles were white as he clutched at the blanket that had been laid over top of him


	2. Worry in Overdrive

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Scott P.O.V

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Scott keyed up his mike and contacted the emergency medical center. He had to notify the hospital of two patients that were in need of urgent medical care. It had since been 20 minutes since Virgil had to use forceful traction to set Alan's broken arm. Fermat had woken up from the sedation and had begun to have an asthma attack because the smoke inhalation has burned his airway. Alan had lost consciousness from the pain, and each time he regained consciousness all he would do is moan, vomit and cry.

"Attention Massachusetts General: This is Thunderbird op 1. Come in Mass Gen." Scott said in an effort to get some help.

"This is Mass. Gen. emergency services. Go ahead." The air control operator answered back.

"Yeah Mass. Gen. I am flying in, I have two ICD.9 youths on my hands, severe burns to the lower extremities, trunk and broken arm on one and severe burns to other youth's lower extremities with apparent broken ankle. Second youth is an asthmatic and is having difficulty breathing. Do you copy?" Scott relayed the information to the air control operator.

"Thunderbird op 1 we copy, we will have trauma bay 1 and 2 open for your arrival. When you land, we will have some people outside with a couple gurneys for transport. Do you copy?" The air control operator replied.

"Copy that. Youth one just lost consciousness, and keeps vomiting upon regaining conciousness. Please stand by." Scott informed the operator.

"Roger that Op 1. We are standing by with the proper equipment necessary. What is your ETA?" The operator questioned Scott.

"ETA is 10 minutes. Over."

"Roger that Op 1, we will be watching. Over and out."

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Gordon P.O.V

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Scott hollered at Virgil over his shoulder to contact dad and Brain's to let them know where they were taking Alan and Fermat. I took the liberty to contact them, just so I could leave the sight of my broken brother. My stomach was still doing somersaults and it was not helping my nausea to see my little brother vomit as well.

"Thunderbird 1 to Team." I contacted the team line, so that I would not have to make individual calls to the family.

When I saw the faces of dad, my brother John and friend Brain's, I felt tears gather in my eyes. I knew the news I was about to tell them was not good. Far from it. And now I dreaded taking responsibility for having to place this call to our family. Blinking back the tears and clearing my throat, I prepared myself for telling our family the news.

"Team to Thunderbird 1, how did the rescue go?" dad inquired.

"Yeah the rescue went good. Everybody got out. But…" I felt the emotion close up my throat.

"But, but what? What is it Gordo?" John questioned. He had a sinking feeling that the news was not going to be good.

"Thunderbird 1 is currently escorting two injured youths to Massachusetts General. Severe burns to lower extremities and trunks. They are going into shock. The two youths suffered a few broken bones, and have heavy smoke inhalation." I blinked. As I exhaled deeply, I heard a gasp. I didn't have to have my eyes open to know that gasp belonged to my father.

"Were you guys able to rescue Alan and Fermat, are they okay? Answer me damn it!" dad worried at the look on my face.

"Alan and Fermat…they are the two youths we are taking to Massachusetts General. When we arrived, we were getting ready to run into the blaze when the two boys came running out. The headmaster had been keeping count and said that the two boys were the last out of the fire." I relayed to my family and friend.

"How bad are the burns to Alan and Fermat?" John asked.

"Alan has the worst of the burns. He…uh…his feet are…uh…bleeding and raw." I took a moment to try to quell the nausea I was feeling at describing their injuries. "The burns travel up to almost mid-thigh. His trunk and arms are burned pretty badly as well. His hair was singed and he has what appears to be a 1st degree burn on his face. He keeps losing consciousness, but when he does come to he throws up. Virgil has him on an oxygen cannula because he can hardly breathe and his right humerus was broken. Virgil had to use forceful traction to set the bone and trust me you would not have wanted to hear that." I stopped to allow the news of Alan's injuries to sink in before continuing on with the extent of Fermat's injuries.

"Fermat was the luckier of the two. The burns on his body are not as bad as the ones on Alan's body. His feet are similar to Alan's, but his ankle appears to be broken. Then the burns travel up to just above the knee. He has some 2nd degree burns on his back and his glasses were a little melted. His hands were burned as well, same as Alan. He is having difficulty breathing from the smoke inhalation, but Virgil has got him on an oxygen mask to keep his O2 stats up." I bit my lip. I was nervous about the reaction of my family and friend at the extent of our loved one's injuries.

"Our ETA is within the next 5 minutes, I am going to have to go so I can prepare the boys for a gurney ride. Thunderbird op 1 out." With that I cut the link and went back into the medi-bay to help Virgil prepare our brothers for transport.

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General P.O.V

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Jeff's eyes were wide when he heard the news about Alan and Fermat. Brain's was getting ready to come back with John from Thunderbird 5. They had put Thunderbird 5 into auto-pilot for the time being. Jeff stood up to go gather some clothing for the boys and to inform Onaha and Kyrano that he and the boys would be gone for quite some time. He told them about the injuries to the boys, but asked that it be kept quiet from Tin-Tin for the time being. He didn't want her to worry until they found out about how bad the burns were from a specialist.

As Jeff left the kitchen and dining hall, he made a mental note to grab some pajamas for Alan and to allow Brain's to grab some for Fermat. When they were ready to come home, he knew they would not be allowed to wear regular clothing for a while until the doctor told them otherwise. Making his way into Alan's bedroom, he spotted a picture of Alan and some of his friends from Wharton's. Alan's eyes were closed and he appeared to be laughing in merriment. Some of the guys in the picture were wearing cocky grins and had their arms around each other's shoulders. Fermat sat in the front smiling and of course then it was made apparent why Alan was laughing…somebody in the picture had snuck up behind Fermat and gave him bunny ears. Jeff smiled warmly at the scene. However he noticed somebody who was not with the group of friends scowling in the background. He appeared to be directing his angered gaze at the group of boys. Jeff thought it odd that the angry boy would be in the picture. Gazing around the room he found a photo album that he often found Alan gazing at with a smile. Jeff grabbed the album in hopes that maybe looking at it would cheer up Alan whilst he was in the hospital. Grabbing some cotton pajamas and slippers Jeff left the room.

When John and Brain's arrived back on the island, Jeff was there to greet them. He informed Brain's they would be leaving as soon as Brain's went to gather some clothing for Fermat. As Brain's took off to his and Fermat's home Jeff walked up to Tracy 1. John walked up and gave his dad a hug. Jeff looked into John's eyes and he could see the tears swimming in his second oldest son's eyes. Jeff knew that John his sensitive, quiet boy was very upset at hearing how badly hurt his baby brother was. Jeff pulled John into a fierce hug trying to offer comfort to his son. It surprised him when John started talking.

"I can't get the images of Fermat and Alan calling in about the fire out of my head. I can still hear Alan coughing harshly, seeing Fermat's eyes fill with tears from the smoke and I can still hear the roar of the flames. I can't even begin to imagine how those two felt while they ran through the flames." As John finished speaking, he couldn't help but to start crying. The images kept replaying in his head. He repeated everything that occurred in the emergency call to his dad.

~FLASHBACK~

_Fearing the worst, he activated the monitor to Fermat's watch and his pupils dilated when he saw an image of Fermat covering his face with a dripping washcloth. He heard coughing coming from two sources. Fermat started to shout at whoever was coughing. He could hear a loud deafening roar and it drowned out Fermat's voice. He promptly began hollering into his mike in order to get Fermat's attention._

_"Fermat! What is the matter? Are you okay?" John watched with baited breath as Fermat opened his eyes and gazed at the watch on his wrist. Closing his eyes he started hacking. He barely managed to get the words "dorm on fire" out before he was coughing again._

_John took notice then that the other set of coughing had never stopped. He recognized the cough as Alan's. Being a big brother he had his share of tending to sick little brothers. He noticed the screen kept fading from dark to light. He realized the source of coughing must be smoke!_

_"Fermat what is going on? Why are you and Alan coughing? Please answer me!" John pleaded with Fermat to give him an answer. The watch monitor came into focus and Fermat began to shout in order to be heard over the deafening roar of flames. However Fermat's voice kept on occasionally being drowned out by that roar._

_"Went to bed…woke up…past curfew…couldn't breathe…dorm…fire…Alan…can't breathe." Fermat dissolved into a coughing fit before he could continue. "Shower…cold water…going to run…4__th__ floor…no fire escape…please help!"_

~END FLASHBACK~

John shuttered at the memory of hearing the roaring flames and the sight of the smoke filtering around Alan and Fermat. Chancing a glance at his father, he noticed his dad was deathly pale. John feared his dad was going to pass out, but then he shook his head and took a deep breath before motioning for John to climb into the cockpit of Tracy 1. Jeff had already contacted Lady Penelope and informed her of what had occurred. She surprised him, by telling him that she would contact Scott to let him know to leave Thunderbird 1 at the hangar in Manhattan while Jeff would fly in with Tracy 1 and get them all.

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Brain's P.O.V

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To hear how badly injured my son and Alan was, was heart breaking. I always thought that at Wharton's they would be safe from all harm. I never imagined that a fire would break out at the school and cause what we and the boys might see as irreparable damage. Alan had severe burns over a good portion of his body and his feet from the way Gordon described it were raw and bleeding, that would signify that the flesh might have been burnt away entirely. If that was the case he will need many surgeries to have skin grafts and provided that his body didn't refuse the grafts he would need to learn to walk again. That in and of itself would be not only very painful, but the treatments would be extensive. I know that Alan could do it, but he might also need psychological treatment…Fermat as well. I am somehow dreading seeing the state that my little boy is in. The both of them will be in the burn ward for a prolonged amount of time.

As I hurry up the stairs to my own home, I can't help but feel my throat close up with emotion. I could have lost my little boy today. I thank God for the Thunderbirds…regardless if I am a small part of them or not. It was my good friend's sons who took action to give urgent medical care to my son and their brother. It made me proud to be a part of this organization. I run up the stairs and enter my boy's room. As I look around I spot a photograph sitting on his bedside table. Fermat told me that one of their teachers took the picture after they had won some sort of competition.

The picture showed Alan who was laughing and had his eyes closed. He had his arms around the shoulders of two friends opposite him. Fermat was kneeling if front of the group and he had what appeared to be a pair of bunny ears from the fingers of another friend who was kneeling behind him. The group of 5 boys all wore matching outfits, but they were not Wharton's assigned uniforms. Their clothes were white button up shirts that were open in the front to show off black tank tops. Black dress pants and black dress shoes. However all the boys wore matching black and white striped fedora hats. It was interesting to see the boys dressed as such, when I could not remember having ever purchased such an outfit for my son. Come to think of it, I don't even think Alan owned such an outfit himself. All I had ever seen him wear when he was on the island was either jeans and t-shirts or swim trunks. When he was leaving for school with Fermat, they normally left wearing their uniforms. I became puzzled as I could not remember whether Fermat had told me what sort of competition this picture was for, but I couldn't help but notice a boy that stood in the distant background who looked livid. He had his arms crossed and was glaring at the group of boys. Seeing his displeasure sent a chill down my spine.

I shrugged it off and proceeded to gather some pajamas for my son and some items from home that would keep him occupied and as comfortable as he could be while he was recovering in the hospital. However as I lifted a notebook on Fermat's desk, I found a medium sized box that was covered in Christmas wrapping paper. It was addressed to dad from Alan. However dad and Alan were obviously written in Alan's hand writing not Fermat's so I knew Alan must have hidden a Christmas present for his dad in Fermat's bedroom, because it would be one of the less likely places that his dad would ever look for a Christmas present. That is if Jeff was one of those pokey individuals that would pester you for their Christmas present early…which Jeff was not…that trait belonged to Gordon. Regardless, Christmas was a week away and Alan and Fermat would be unable to return home due to the injuries they received escaping the fire. The boys had been home for Thanksgiving, so he very well could have hidden the present with Fermat then. Replacing Alan's gift to his dad back on Fermat's desk I made a mental note to ask Alan if he wanted me to fly back to get it…being mindful to ask when Alan was coherent and not on a pleasant high from the pain medications the hospital would undoubtedly have him on. Turning from Fermat's bedroom I hurried to make my way to the hangar to board Tracy 1 so I could see my son and surrogate nephew.

##############

General P.O.V

##############

Jeff looked around to make sure he was clear for take-off and heard the door open and spotted Brain's coming in with a rucksack slung over his shoulder. Brain's offered what Jeff knew to be an anxious smile up to his friend and John nodded at Brain's to acknowledge that the both of them had noticed his arrival. John had just finished logging the flight plan, and confirmed it before they took off to Massachusetts General Hospital. All three males prayed that their boys were alright and would recover in record time. Jeff estimated that it would be a 5 hour flight in the right weather conditions and that appeared to be in their favor so far. There weren't even any fast moving winds that would hinder their build up in speed. Jeff closed his eyes as he prayed.

"**_Oh Lucy. Please protect our baby make his recovery a speedy one. You know how determined Alan is. He would rather walk around on injured limbs than lay in a bed. Also if it is not too much trouble could you also put in a good word for Fermat? God only knows how brave these two were to flee from a fire regardless of any injuries sustained. Please Lucy my love. Here my prayer!"_**

Giving the jet the throttle needed, Tracy 1 lifted off with no problems. Once they were airborne Jeff rang in to Scott's mike. He desperately wanted to hear word on his youngest son's condition. He felt like a knife was being twisted around in his stomach and it made him feel so sick. He felt relieved to hear Scott's voice. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for any bad news that may have been told by doctors to Scott.


	3. Time to Explain

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Scott's P.O.V

##############

After Gordon disconnected the call, I radioed in to the emergency air controller again to notify them of our impending landing. I could hear Alan moaning loudly and it hurt my heart to hear Alan in such pain. I could also hear Fermat's gasping breaths and felt like I myself might suffer an asthma attack right along with him. My chest tightened and I fought the tears that I knew were right on the surface. I refused to cry, not until I was alone. When I was alone, I felt free to break down and sob to myself until I fell into a restless sleep. But right now I had to be strong for my brothers, Alan especially.

As I brought Thunderbird 1 down onto the landing strip, I couldn't help but notice the crowds of medical personnel converging on the rescue jet. I opened the emergency hatch and I heard Virgil directing the emergency personnel where to put the gurneys for easy transfer. I couldn't help but to hear Virgil muttering to Alan, that he would check in with the school and inform them that they needed to contact Alan's family. I knew it was a ruse so that Virgil could hide his identity, but I couldn't help the want to run back to my baby brother and go to comfort him in his time of need. The hospital would never recognize us as Alan's family because of the helmets we wore that obscured our faces.

I watched as Virgil and Gordon assisted the emergency personnel in the transfer of Alan and Fermat's back boards. I watched as an emergency doctor shouted orders to 'hurry' and then the nurses and doctors rushed out of the medi-bay and onto the heli-pad. I felt my heart drop when I looked out the window and watched Alan begin to fight the restraints. I shuddered when I watched a male doctor hop onto the gurney and physically restrain Alan. I wanted more than anything to run to Alan and hold his hand and tell him everything would be okay, but I couldn't. Nobody on the outside could know who the Thunderbirds were and that included the current non-member of the family business.

As the medical personnel left my sight through the triage doors, I fought the tears that were clawing to get free from my eyes. I caught the attention of Virgil and Gordon to let them know we were heading back to Tracy Island. I noticed that my two younger brothers wore identical looks on their faces that I had on my face. As I swiveled in my seat to resume flight, I paused when my watch started ringing. Answering it I began having a conversation with Lady Penelope. She was kind enough to inform me that our father and brother John were in Tracy 1 with Brain's and were going to land in the hangar in Manhattan where we would meet up and fly together to one of the local hangars in Massachusetts. I gave a brief sigh of relief at not having to fly all the way back to Tracy Island. Disconnecting the call, I informed my brothers of our change in plans.

I watched as Virgil set about cleaning up the medi-bay of all the used implements. Gordon helped to clean up an emesis basin that I knew Alan had used…but I was puzzled at the fact that I also noticed Gordon cleaning a second basin…I was unaware that anybody else had used an emesis basin besides Alan. I made a mental note to ask Virgil when he came up to relieve me of flight duty when it came time to change into our civilian clothes. I set about changing our flight plan, and set off on our new course. I contacted dad and set into a small talk conversation with him. It was better to talk to someone right now than it would be to give in to my emotions and cry about the harm that had come to my baby brother, when I was unable to protect him.

"Hey dad, how is the flight?" I asked. I knew how the flight would be, tense. It was a given, especially when it involved one of Jeff Tracy's sons who just happened to be injured.

"…" The only response I got was silence. I had a feeling that my dad would refuse to talk, but I was grasping at straws. I needed to talk to someone, who could offer me a helping hand in reigning in my emotions.

"Dad, I know it is not the best of circumstances right now, but give me something to work with. I need to hear your voice." I tried again to get my dad to converse with me.

"Okay Scotty. Please tell me the details of the rescue and what took place. I know the last thing you want to talk about is probably the rescue, but that is the only thing that is coming to mind right now." I finally was able to get a reply from my dad. He was correct in his belief that the last thing I wanted to talk about was the rescue, but it gave me something to talk about.

"Well, back when I contacted the team. I was able to see the blaze. Even from being 10 minutes out, I could see the glow from a distance. The smoke billowing from the building was as black as night from what I could tell. When I landed Thunderbird 1, Virgil, Gordon and I grabbed our fire gear and ran to go assist. I ordered Gordon to go check with the headmaster about whether there were still students trapped inside. He apparently said there were two left, but couldn't for sure identify who the remaining two were. Virgil and I could see the structure was not some ordinary building fire. The entire building was engulfed in flames. Black smoke poured from every door and window. You couldn't even get within 30 feet of the blaze without feeling like you were going to spontaneously combust. There were firefighters already there trying to douse the flames, but they were not letting up." I reiterated to my dad how the beginning of the mission was. I shuddered to think that if the flames were that hot to us with our fire gear on, how did it truly feel to Alan and Fermat who ran through the flames to escape unprotected?

"As Virgil and I ran closer to the building, the fire chief shouted at us that the building was unstable. He kept refusing us entrance. Virgil and I shoved past them and got about 5 feet from the building when two boys came racing out. The boys dropped to the ground and began the stop, drop and roll method and they were screaming. No matter how much they rolled around the flames acted almost resistant to being put out. Virgil and I ran to their aid and began to smother the flames with our fire retardant blankets. After the boys clothes had been put out, Virgil and I grabbed them and ran from the immediate area. It wasn't hard to carry them, they were next to unconscious. As I think about it now, I was carrying Alan and Virgil was carrying Fermat. We ran to a cordoned off area where the students and staff were gathered. As we lay down Alan and Fermat, they began coughing. They couldn't even stop to get a good deep breath and they sounded like they were breathing through straws. Virgil and I removed the towels that Alan and Fermat had tied around their faces and replaced them with our respirators." I swallowed thickly at the memory. It seemed so surreal now, but seeing my baby brother's face pinched up in pain at the mere activity of breathing was shocking.

I paused briefly to breathe and to allow my dad to soak up the information I was telling him. I began speaking again, just trying to get my dad caught up on the information.

"Gordo came running from Thunderbird 1 carrying two back boards and neck braces to secure the boys. The headmaster attempted to help us with the boys, but just seemed to be in the way, so we set him off on the duty to calm the other boys and try to extract information on what may have started the fire. When we got Alan and Fermat secured, we had Gordo run back to get a couple oxygen masks. We knew they couldn't wear our respirators for the entire trip out, but they needed oxygen. When Gordo returned he ran to talk to the headmaster and let him know that we would take the boys to the hospital. The headmaster said he would greatly appreciate it, so we gathered the boys up and started to head back to Thunderbird 1. I noticed a burnt hand reach out and across to the other back board. The other boy reached back and they held hands. I know it was just to comfort the both of them, they were crying from the pain and I am sure the fear and relief of getting out. They were mumbling incoherently to each other. I had no idea then that it was Alan and Fermat that we were escorting away. Alan and Fermat held hands for less than a minute, before Alan pulled away. Virgil noticed Alan's breathing pattern had altered and Alan started acting like he was about to be sick. Gordon helped Alan pull off the oxygen mask and Virgil stopped and rolled Alan on his uninjured side and pushed his head over the side of the back board where he began to violently vomit. We were unable to move him until the heaving stopped."

There was a pregnant pause as I halted in my explanation. I could feel the tears gathering at the corner of my eyes. I felt my throat constrict with emotion and I knew that if I explained anymore, I would be a bawling mess. I hoped that my dad would allow me a reprieve from anymore explanation. Then it occurred to me, that I could call Virgil up to finish the account as I was piloting and had no clear knowledge of what had occurred in the medi-bay. I bit into my lip as I considered my options. Thankfully though Virgil seemed to sense my distress and came up to relieve me of flying duty. I turned to him and mouthed to him asking if he would explain the rest to dad. He agreed with a pained grin.

"Hey dad, since I was not back in the medi-bay during the treatment of Alan and Fermat I will be passing off the conversation to Virgil. Is that okay?" I asked my dad. I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning. I was relieved when he agreed. Standing, I passed the controls and headset to my brother and headed back to change into my civilian clothing.

##############

Virgil's P.O.V

##############

After relieving Scott of flight duty, I began to lightly converse with our father. I was unsure of what may have been said to our dad, so I just waited to find out from him what all Scott had said. I myself didn't know what to say. I didn't want to skirt the issue of Alan's injuries, but I also didn't know what Gordon had told everybody when Scott had him contact the team. I figure I should just tell him the truth as much as I don't want to. But unfortunately the truth hurts. I can only hope that the injuries are not truly as bad as they had appeared at the scene of the fire. A lot of what Alan and Fermat could have been experiencing with the vomiting and difficulty breathing could have been a sign that they were going into shock. Alan was shivering at one point right after I cut his burnt clothing off, but that could have easily been him going into shock. I don't know, I suppose I better get on with the explanation.

Heaving a deep sigh, I leaned back in the pilot's chair and began to speak in a professional manner.

"Okay, I don't quite know where Scott left off with his explanation. Do you feel up to filling me in?" I shivered at the question. Nobody should ever be asked such a question…especially when the person you are asking is the father of one of the injured individuals.

"Scott left off with how you rolled Alan on his side to allow him to throw up at the fire. What was Fermat doing during all of this?" Dad just had to ask that question didn't he?

"I am afraid that Fermat was in and out of consciousness. He had apparently used up whatever was left in his inhaler during the escape. I tried giving him a few puffs off of it, but each time I pumped it; it wouldn't expel any of the medicine. That is why I put him on an oxygen mask. Yes, I did roll Alan on his side. It was all I could do at the time. I would rather aggravate what injuries he has than to allow him to asphyxiate. That kid was not able to hold back his gag reflexes; I could see he was trying. I think that was why his breathing pattern changed. You know how whenever he was growing up he would breathe sharply through his nose to prevent himself from throwing up? I believe that is what he was doing, however I think the smoke aggravated him all the more though."

I thought back on it and it had not occurred to me then that it was Alan. Granted I was unable to completely identify him at the time due to the washcloth tied to his face. It didn't make identifying him any easier due to the fact that he was also covered from head to toe in black from the smoke and ash.

"When he was finally able to lie back, Gordon and I rushed him and Fermat into the medi-bay. It was after that that I set about cutting the burnt clothes off of them so I could see their injuries. Gordon and I both began to wash their faces gently so that we could properly identify the boys. It was then that we realized who the boys were. After getting them cleaned up a little bit, I went about trying to assist Fermat in regaining his breathing. Gordon went and got a blanket to cover Alan who had begun to shiver, but when he went to lay it on Alan he yelled when the blanket touched his feet. I was unaware how bad his injuries were. That was when I discovered how severe his burns were. I also discovered that while Alan was shivering, he was refusing to allow his right arm to leave his chest. He had appeared to be cradling it to himself. I examined his injuries further and found he had a broken humerus."

I was dreading getting to this point in the conversation. I was just thanking God that my dad had not actually gone through with his plan to install security cameras in the Thunderbirds…I think if that had occurred I would have had Gordon be an espionage agent and go around and cause them to become inoperable. The reason I had temporarily muted my mike and directed Gordon and Scott to do so as well was because I didn't want anybody such as Brain's, John or dad to hear how much pain my brother was going to be in. Gritting my teeth, I began my explanation.

"After discovering his broken arm, I realized that he would need it to be set. I know how painful setting broken bones can be, as when I was training to be a medic I have had to set broken bones in the field as you well know. So I grabbed the sheath off of my combat knife and gave it to Alan to bite on. You and I both know that to render him totally unconscious with the help of drugs may have caused him to become comatose because we don't know how bad his injuries may have been."

I closed off my explanation briefly with a justification in hopes that it would prevent my dad from becoming angry at how I handled my brother in the field. I was surprised when he said the words I was hoping he'd say.

"You got to do what you got to do." My dad sounded so calm when he said that. I however know that he was probably white in the face at hearing the extent of his son's injuries from a medical perspective. Continuing my explanation, I prepared for my dad to flip his lid at the next part.

"After I placed my combat knife sheath in Alan's mouth, I directed Scott and Gordon to mute their mikes…I only did it, because I didn't want any of you guys to key in and to hear…" I paused and sent up a quick prayer that my dad wouldn't behead me for doing what I thought was the best thing for my family at the time.

"I didn't want any of you guys to hear Alan scream. I knew the pain of setting a broken bone would be excruciating especially while awake and not under the effects of any anesthetic. So I directed the other guys to put their mikes and communication devices on mute in the event that any of you tried to contact us while I was treating Alan. After doing so, I had Gordon hold down Alan gently but firmly to prevent him from squirming. Then I grabbed him arm and yanked hard on it to set it using forceful traction. Trust me I was glad to have had the other guys hit mute, Alan's scream was not anything that any of you would have wanted to hear if you tried calling back."

I felt a small weight lift off my shoulders in relief when my dad informed me that he probably would have done the same thing if he had been in my place. I grinned slightly half in amusement, half in discomfort at my next thought.

"After I set Alan's arm, I realized that having Gordon help me with such a feat was probably not in his best interest. Alan's scream made Gordo look as though he had seen a ghost. But I realized that strong, iron stomach Gordo has prided himself on for years becomes queasy very quickly. If it had not been for my quick thinking and the comfort of having the cupboard that held the emesis basins right beside where I working on Alan…I probably would have been cleaning puke off Alan instead of treating his injuries."

I grinned more earnestly when I heard my dad begin chuckling at Gordon becoming squeamish over having to help out with setting a broken bone. Everybody in the Thunderbirds had set at least one broken bone in the field. But Gordo tossing his cookies shortly after assisting Virgil set their brother's arm was still slightly amusing, even if it was at Gordo's expense.

"After we got Alan's arm set and splinted, I went about checking for any other injuries. Alan's eyes were reacting well, so he did not appear to have sustained any head injuries. All Alan received was just burns, scrapes, smoke inhalation and the broken arm. He was beginning to go into shock, but that always happens after a traumatic event with or without injuries. After I completed my assessment of Alan's injuries, I checked over Fermat. His ankle is in fact broken, though I can't for the life of me figure out how he managed to run on a broken ankle and burnt feet alongside Alan. Both of their feet are in pretty bad shape. Alan's are worse though when compared to Fermat's injuries."

I was contemplating asking if Brain's could be present for the remaining explanation of Fermat's injuries. My dad seemed to sense my indecision, because he turned and called Brain's forward. I gulped when Brain's face appeared on the monitor. When the inquisitive look was on Brain's face, Virgil's tightlipped attitude regarding Fermat's injuries quickly dissolved.

"Hello Brain's. Fermat is with Alan currently in the care of Massachusetts General Hospital, they are in good hands." I have no idea why I said that, but it seemed right at the time.

"I'm s-sure Virgil. W-what was the extent-t of Fermat's i-injuries?" I could tell that Brain's was really trying to control his small stutter that he and his son shared. Sucking in a deep breath I went into my explanation.

"Well first off, Fermat's feet were burned about as bad as Alan's. That however is to be expected considering the fact that the two boys ran through a raging inferno barefooted. But probably one of the worst injuries would be his ankle and the burns that travel up to just above the knee. I don't know how Fermat broke his ankle, but it is nothing short of a miracle that he was even able to run on such an injury. I splinted his ankle shortly after getting Fermat into the medi-bay of TB1."

I paused in my quickly run through explanation. I wanted to allow Brain's to absorb the news of his only son's injuries before I went on to give approximate details of the injuries sustained. Seeing the sobering look on his face, I decided that he was ready to hear the rest of information.

"His ankle…it does not appear to have been rotated, which would have indicated that he had fallen. I think it might have been something that was obviously caused by the fire. The stairs could have given way and Fermat may have fallen through which would have the probability to break his ankle, but now that is just speculation. We won't know the exact cause until we can ask Alan and Fermat. However the burns appeared to be mild compared to Alan's burns. He has some nasty looking burns on his chest and back, but other than that he is just suffering from smoke inhalation. He suffered an asthma attack when we got him onboard, but his inhaler was completely empty. I had him on an oxygen mask, and that began to help."

Thinking back on it, I know I am missing something. It was something that had occurred at the scene of the fire…what was it? I distinctly recall hearing Alan and Fermat mumbling incoherently at the fire…but what were they saying? I must have adopted a puzzled look, because I heard my dad saying 'Earth to Virgil'. Snapping out of my thoughts, it occurred to me what had been said between Alan and Fermat.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think Alan and Fermat even realized they were being rescued. After we got them strapped to the back boards, Alan and Fermat felt comfortable to hold hands. They were almost frantic to know what happened to the other. They both reached for the other and wouldn't relax until we moved the back boards closer. I recall Alan mumbling something to Fermat, and I want to say that it was along the lines of 'Fermat, are you okay?', but I am not sure. I am pretty sure though that Fermat replied with 'Alan, I'm fine. How about you?' I noticed their hands had some pretty bad burns. That could only have happened if they had been trying to move a burning object."

I paled as I let my words flow from my mouth. I just had a bad sinking feeling, in which Alan and Fermat had in fact been burnt in their haste to escape by throwing caution to the wind and try to attempt to move something that was clearly on fire. I hoped I was wrong and that they may have just burn their hands by touching the wall as guidance or crawling through the flames.


	4. A Time For Comfort

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General P.O.V

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Scott, Gordon and Virgil eventually met up with Jeff, John and Brain's at the Tracy hangar in Manhattan. As Tracy 1 prepared for landing, Scott stepped out of the office near the back of the hangar. He leaned into the locker room and hollered to Virgil who had yet to come from the showers that Tracy 1 was getting ready to land. Not hearing a response, Scott stepped into the locker room; he noticed that there was no water running which would indicate that Virgil was still showering. He heard some shuddering breaths, but couldn't figure out what was causing it.

Stepping around the corner, Scott's gaze fell onto a shirtless Virgil who was sitting on the benches. Virgil sat with his back to the door, and from Scott's vantage point it appeared that Virgil had been beheaded. Virgil's head couldn't be seen over the rise of his hunched shoulders. Stepping closer, Scott noticed Virgil's shoulders were shaking. Hitched breathing could be heard from the unmoving mass on the bench.

"Virge? Hey man, you okay?" Scott stepped closer, and noticed the shaking shoulders didn't stop.

"Ple-please…go away. I'm fine." Virgil's whisper sounded so broken, but Scott's older brother senses were on overdrive. He walked around the bench and knelt in front of Virgil. It broke Scott's heart to see his normally poker faced younger brother appear so broken. Gazing up into Virgil's face, Scott couldn't help but notice the trails cascading down his cheeks. Virgil was crying so hard, his normally even toned skin, was flushed a bright red. Virgil's eyes were closed, but Scott could see he had been crying for a while. His eyes were puffy, and his nose was running. Scott reached up and pulled Virgil's face down into his shoulder and just held him. Much as he had done for the younger male after their mother had died, or when Gordon had been hurt in that Hydrofoil accident. Scott swore he would be the pillar that would offer his strength to his family. He refused to break, until he knew he would be alone for a long while when he could be free to cry himself.

The moment Scott pulled Virgil into a fierce hug; Virgil broke and began to sob. He clutched at his older brother's shirt as if hanging on for dear life. He cried so hard, he was unable to speak. All Virgil heard, was the comforting baritone voice of Scott whispering in his ear. He cried for what felt like hours, but knew in reality it was probably only five minutes. As he felt the weight begin to lift from his shoulders, his sobs quieted into hiccoughs. As his breathing evened out, Scott leaned back and grabbed Virgil's chin and directed his gaze at himself.

"Now, are you going to tell me what has you so upset; or am I going to have to tickle it out of you? Because you know I will." Scott managed to bring a smile to Virgil's face. Offering him a small smile of his own, Scott asked again with his eyes.

"I was upset over Alan's injuries. I feel bad about causing him such pain." Virgil shook his chin free of Scott's grasp and re-directed his gaze to the floor.

"Hey, you don't mean the injuries like his burns do you. You can't blame yourself for that. But if you mean his arm, then the pain was worth it if you ask me. If you hadn't set it, the doctors may have felt it was necessary to amputate. I know I didn't like to hear his scream, but I would rather have Alan in pain for the time being than to not be able to be a Thunderbird because of a poorly healed arm or amputation. You can't blame yourself for that." Scott tried to talk to Virgil.

"Yeah, I meant his arm. I cried after hearing his scream. I just feel so bad about causing that kind of pain. I could have given him local anesthetic, but I kept him pain-med free. I feel like such a terrible brother right now." Virgil threaded his fingers into his hair before leaning down again.

"Hey, you know I would have done the same to you if you were in his place. It was necessary to have him pain med free so we could make sure that there was no nerve damage. You did the right thing okay? I don't know about you, but shouldn't Alan have been aware that we were there instead of doped up like we know he'll be while in the hospital? I feel you did the right thing! We need to be strong for Alan and Fermat while they recover. It is okay to cry now, but we all are gonna have to take a step up to bat for Alan. He is going to need us now more than ever." Scott stepped away from Virgil and offered him a hand up. Scott felt relief when Virgil accepted the pro-offered hand. Pushing his brother over to the sink, Scott smiled gently as he watched Virgil splash his face with some water before pulling himself together.

##############

Jeff's P.O.V

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As I landed Tracy 1, I noticed Scott and Virgil coming out of the locker rooms. My middle son looked as though he had been crying. I can't say that I blame him. Brain's, John and I all cried the trip over. In fact if I wasn't wearing sunglasses right now, you could probably see my red rimmed eyes. I was so scared for Alan. I for one have rescued people from burning buildings, but never have I actually been trapped in one. My son must have been more than terrified while he and Fermat ran through the flames, seeking freedom, escape and a breath of fresh air.

The mental image came across as I saw my son in my mind's eye running from the flames. He was just running, tears streaming down his face, as he begged to be rescued. I shuddered. Was it not enough that Alan had survived an avalanche when he was no older than three and a half years old? Lost his mother in the same accident? Been unable to speak for a year? Was prone to going into anaphylactic shock from penicillin or ingesting walnuts? Been raised by an older brother, because I was inept at doing so in my grief? Breaking his forearm when he was 12 after him and Gordon got lost in the jungle? Why couldn't Alan just catch a break? Now he was caught in a massive fire that destroyed the place he had called his home away from home. Receiving severe burns and suffering a badly broken arm.

I opened the hatch to allow Gordon, Virgil and Scott entrance to Tracy 1. After they came on board and got their harnesses put on, I set off to fly to the hospital. We already had received clearance from the airport to store our jet at the hangar on their property. After I gave the okay to unbuckle their harnesses, Scott came up to sit in the co-pilot's seat next to me. I could see that he was trying his damndest to not cry. I know he came up here in hopes that he could pilot, if anything to relieve the stress of the situation. Flying had always calmed Scott when his nerves were on edge. But I had the piloting under control.

Thankfully, the way I had designed Tracy 1, I just had to hit a button and a curtain would close. It was a safety measure; I had it installed around the time that Gordon's hydrofoil accident had occurred. It was the only way that I was able to keep my middle and youngest sons from starting WWIII.

At the time of the accident, everybody was on edge as they feared for not only Gordon's life, but his mental health at being told he may never walk again. Virgil and Alan had been arguing nonstop. Alan at the time was being optimistic that Gordon would get better, and Virgil was slightly pessimistic. Virgil being an aspiring medic understood the concerns. Alan on the other hand had been openly optimistic and did not ask the commonly asked 'what if' questions.

He simply asked the 'when' questions. Virgil had become angry at Alan, and blatantly said Alan had no heart. This in turn caused Alan to turn a complete 360. The only way that we were able to stop the argument at the time was when John hauled Alan up to the co-pilot seat while Scott dragged Virgil back to the rear of the jet. In order to keep Alan from leaving the cockpit, I had activated the curtain. Nice thing is, it locks and can only be opened with the push of a button or an override code. Not only that but it was sound proofed so that private conversations were kept private.

It had come in handy, because Alan hates to cry openly in front of his brothers for fear of retribution. But at the time, the boy just let out his fears to be heard by only his father's ears. Alan cried, dad listened and comforted. When all was said and done, Alan had fallen asleep using my lap as a pillow while I continued to fly. Virgil had refused to apologize at the time, and then he apologized quite ferociously to Alan after Gordon got better and began to walk again. Alan at the time though had assumed it was normal to be yelled at day in and day out by his older brothers, so Alan just quietly accepted the apology, but said nothing more in return. Often times, I would have no choice, but to use the override code to deactivate the locking curtain. The cockpit of Tracy 1 had become something of a safe haven for Alan to go and cry. So whenever I was unable to find him after a blowup between brothers, the cockpit of Tracy 1 was usually the first place I always checked. I figured now was as good a time as any to press the button to activate the curtain. If anything this would allow Scott a moment to calm down and get his feelings under control.

As I pressed the button, I noticed Scott's shock when the curtain snapped shut. All background noise, and conversations in the passenger area becoming completely muted. I sat in silence as I waited for Scott to voice his question. One I knew he was itching to ask. So I just kept my gaze set towards the horizon.

"Dad? What's going on? Why did you activate the curtain?" Scott asked in an almost hushed voice.

"I closed the curtain to allow you a few minutes to collect yourself. I can tell by the look on your face that you are trying to remain strong for all of us, Alan included and I can see the toll it is taking on you. I closed the curtain and I know you are going to be quick to defend yourself, so that if you felt the need to cry in private, you could do so without any of your brothers interrupting. You know I won't judge you if you allow the bravado fall for a little while and just allow yourself to cry. But I know that you keep up the bravado for your brothers to let them see you be brave and strong. But it is okay to cry my boy. I was crying on the flight in. So were Brain's and John. If you feel you need to cry, then by all means, release the pain, fear and frustration. It will make you feel better. I promise.

As I neared the end of my little speech, I couldn't help but to notice the miserable sniffles. I chanced a glance at my oldest son, and I actually felt relief to see him showing another emotion I hadn't seen on his face since his mother's funeral. Scott sat in the co-pilot's cockpit chair and tears were streaming down his face in torrents. Scott's shoulders shook from the intensity of his sobs. I placed Tracy 1 on auto-pilot and stood to kneel in front of my son. I pulled him into a warm embrace, and just held him. Right now, I was not the commander of the Thunderbirds. Right now, at this very moment, I was a dad…a father comforting his eldest son. Right now I was trying to reassure my first born little boy, that all would be okay. I held him murmuring words of comfort and patted him on the back. There was not much more that I could do. Slowly, I felt tears coursing down my face. I had joined my son in a party of tears. In truth when all was said and done, I truly think it made Scott feel better to cry. Not just because I was there to comfort him, but because it allowed him to release pent up emotions that he didn't often show.


	5. Meeting the Family

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Alan's P.O.V

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I was vaguely aware of the pain. It hurt so much, I began to feel numb. I guess it was my body's way of coping with the pain. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to blink. It hurt to swallow. I hurt everywhere that it was feasibly possible to hurt. It even hurt to hear anything. I guess this gives a whole new meaning to the saying "you're in for a world of hurt". I tried to focus on anything, but the pain. I was surrounded in darkness. I could hear voices. The voices sounded so close, yet so distant. I felt myself being drawn to the voices. I heard someone calling my name. I couldn't recognize the voice. As I got closer to the voice, I could make out a whole other cacophony of noise surrounding the voice.

"Alan, can you hear me?"

Again, there was the voice I couldn't recognize. It was a deep baritone voice. The voice sounded nothing like my dad or brothers. I tried to resist the urge to open my eyes. But I wanted to know who it was that was calling my name. As I opened my eyes, I could make out a dark smattering of color. I blinked to clear my vision. I noticed I was in a darkened room, lit only by a dim light above me. I gazed at the person, who I assumed the voice had come from. I was again aware of something over my nose and mouth, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I realized I was no longer in my dorm room back at Wharton's, nor was I on the island with my family. I could feel my heart rate pick up as I began to panic. I looked once more at the man, and noticed him leaning closer with a gentle smile adorning his face.

"It's okay Alan. You're okay, however you are in the hospital's burn unit right now. I am your overseeing physician. Please call me Dr. Andreessen." The apparent doctor pulled up a small rolling chair while finishing his statement.

I looked over at the doctor. I was puzzled by what he said. Hospital? Burn unit? Why was I there? My mind was in a fog, I couldn't remember a fire. But I did have a vague memory of smoke. Running from something, if only I could remember what that something was. Then something flashed in my mind. Fermat! What had happened to Fermat?

"Fer-mat." Okay that most definitely was not my voice. But then I took notice of my slurring his name. Wow, something big must have happened for me to be this drunk, on what I don't know. I gazed to the doctor as realization crossed his face.

"Don't try to talk yet Alan. Your throat was badly burned by the smoke and ash. Your little friend you were brought in with is in the next bed over. Talk a gander over there." Doctor Andreessen pointed to another bed across the room. It was there that I saw my best friend hooked up to god only knows how many machines. It was primarily wires and an IV, so I could deal with that. As long as I knew that my best friend was safe and secure.

I barely managed a whisper to ask the doctor. He kept shushing me, so I figured a whisper was better than straining my throat. It hurt too damn much right now. "What happened?"

It was the doctor's turn to look shocked. However, that quickly melted into concern for some reason. He gave me a look that told me, it would not be good news. I steeled myself to take the brunt of the bad news head on.

"Alan, you were caught in a massive fire. Wharton's school for boys was burnt down to the ground. You and your friend barely managed to escape. From what I was told by the rescuers, the building collapsed shortly after you and your friend Fermat ran outside. I will admit the past couple of days have been touch and go for you primarily. Your friend Fermat has woken up a couple times and asked for you, but you were on life support in the burn unit's ICU for the past 3 days. You have only just been moved to the burn unit's recovery ward. I have had to refuse access for your family to see you because of how gravely injured you were. They will be quite pleased to hear you have come to, but it is about time you go back to sleep. I believe you have had enough excitement for today." Doctor Andreessen smiled gently as I closed my eyes and re-introduced myself with the welcoming darkness that was currently free of pain.

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Dr. Andreessen's P.O.V

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I hung around until my most current patient fell into a deep slumber. I was pleased that Alan had woken up from unconsciousness. I know the family will be even more so pleased. I don't think they have left the hospital since they had arrived 3 days ago. I ran a hand through my mahogany colored hair as I stood to exit the room. I double checked on Fermat as I passed by his bed. Both boys were sound asleep and currently doing well. I and another doctor had our hands full when the Thunderbirds had brought these two boys in from the fire. I was the head of the burn unit and when I was paged about two ICD.9's that were youths, I rushed to the heli-pad to retrieve my two patients. I remember I had to make Doctor McNulty hop onto the gurney to physically restrain the boy known as Alan. I knew he was disoriented and frightened. He had kept on screaming for his dad and brothers. It was later that I learned who he was exactly, and then I understood the bond he had with his family.

He was Alan Tracy and it was always talked about in the media how close his family was. Alan had never quite made it into the mainstream media, because of how protective his family was. They sheltered him from the public's eye from the time he was small. I respected their privacy, for I was the son of a former governor at one time and had dealt with the paparazzi and journalists. I knew how irritating it could be to be followed around daily. That was why I changed my name after I became of age. My dad had no problem with me going to my mother's maiden name. It worked for the best. I didn't want to be recognized as that governor's kid. Not only would it affect how potential employers hired me, which could primarily be for a publicity stunt; but it would affect how I was treated by my co-workers. At 31 years of age, I could sympathize with the Tracy family. The sons did nothing to warrant being followed by reporters except be known as Jeff Tracey's sons. But they work with their dad at Tracy Enterprises, except for Alan who was still a minor.

As I closed the door to the private burn unit door, I activated the security code that would lock out all intruders. Only people with authorized permission could enter. Those who had authorized permission were himself and Doctor McNulty…the orthopedist who is overseeing the treatment done to Alan and Fermat's broken bones. I turned away from the door, and made my way to the private family waiting room. I knew the news I would give the family, would be a huge relief off their shoulders. Stopping in front of the door, I cleared my throat and knocked on the door. I know this is a hospital, but I like to offer the families I deal with the same respect they might offer a guest staying at their home.

"Knock-knock! It is just me Dr. Andreessen. No need to worry." I smiled gently as I made my way into the room. I took notice of a young red headed male sleeping with his head in the lap of an older male. I assumed it was an older brother whom was cradling the younger male's head in his lap.

I took notice of 6 males ranging in age. An older male with some greying streaks in his hair, I took to be the dad Jeff Tracy. He was sitting up, and looked like he hadn't slept in the three days since he had arrived here. There was another older male who was standing against one of the far walls. He resembled the boy Fermat, so I took it that he was a friend of the family. I also took notice of a younger male who I had to assume was in his mid to late 20's, the oldest brother and son Scott Tracy. I could see he shared a look on his face that matched that of his father. It would appear that this news would be a very welcoming thing for the men who would appear to have not slept a wink in the last three days.

The second youngest male who I would have to assume was John Tracy sat on one of the far couches. He was the one cradling the head of an apparent younger brother. John looked like he had slept just as little as his dad and older brother. His blond hair was disheveled from what I would assume would be caused by the action of running his fingers through his hair. The next male who sat in a lounge chair with a magazine resting on his lap looked like he had in fact slept. He looked more alert than his family, the kind of alert that sadly could not be gained by coffee alone. I took notice of the young red head again. He had apparently crashed and burned. He looked so tired, and yet he appeared so incredibly restless. I directed my gaze at the head of the family. I directed my statement towards the one person who looked like he could use this news more than anyone.

"Well, Mr. Tracy…" I was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Excuse me?" I asked in order to try to get a louder response.

"I said, please call me Jeff." Jeff answered tersely.

"Okay, Jeff. Well I have some good news for you lot. Alan has woken up briefly from his unconsciousness. He quickly fell back to sleep though, but that is to be expected considering; the injuries he has suffered." I paused in my explanation, when Jeff exhaled deeply. It would appear that he had been able to allow the breath he had been holding for who knows how long go. I pulled up a chair and took a seat across from them. I still hadn't explained the full extent of the boy's injuries to the family, because my attention has decidedly been with staying near the boys until they were considered stable.

"How are they? Please, I don't know how much more I can take of this not knowing." Jeff voice wavered with unshed tears. I knew that he might begin to cry during my explanation, but then if he did, then that just showed how much he cared for his youngest son.

"The boys are stable. Fermat was moved to the recovery floor earlier this morning once we were able to get his asthma under control. The smoke and ash didn't help his condition; however he only suffered small attacks. He and Alan are currently in a sterile environment due to the burns on their bodies. Fermat's feet, hands and left leg received the worse damage considering how badly burnt he was. I can assure you that his feet will not affect his ability to walk, but it will be his calf muscle that will need to be rehabilitated. He sustained 3rd degree burns to his left calf. In my professional opinion, it would appear that whatever broke his ankle is what caused the severe burn to his calf, I can tell that, because his leg was not just burned, but the muscle had been torn by something that ripped away at the muscle. Fermat does in fact have 1st and 2nd degree burns on his upper legs, stomach, chest and back, but they will heal with time and the proper treatment." I again paused in my explanation. I knew the information would be a strong kick to the stomach for the family involved, but I didn't expect the father of Fermat nor the family of Alan to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now, as for Alan, his injuries are pretty bad. I hate to be the bearer of bad news on Alan's part, but he was on life support for a short while, primarily to aid him in breathing for surgery. He had been on it since yesterday, but was taken off shortly after surgery late last night. The burns on his feet will unfortunately need surgery later on in his recovery period in order to replace the skin that was burned. He will need a few skin grafts to close up some of the more severe burns, but that won't be until later. The burns traveled up to mid-thigh, and spread across the lower and upper half of his torso. We do have him on a urinary catheter because he would currently be unable to make the trip to the lavatory with the way his feet and legs are. Also his hands, back and shoulders are covered in 2nd degree burns, so those will just need time to heal. He thankfully will only need skin grafts on his feet and parts of his lower extremities." I paused briefly before continuing my explanation of Alan's condition.

"Now to discuss his arm, it would appear his arm had been broken by something heavy and strong, not from a fall. However, whatever hit his arm caused injuries similar to the injuries Fermat received to his ankle. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that a falling beam caused the injuries. But we will not know what hit them, quite literally until they can give us an account of what happened. I however, would recommend that we let them come tell us, instead of us seeking the answers from the boys." The look on the families face matched the looks of relief they had when I told them the extent of Fermat's injuries. They must have expected a lot worse. But then three days of not knowing could do that to a family.

"So you mentioned a surgery Alan had to have. Did that involve his arm?" I directed my gaze at the red head whom I was not aware had woken up. My brown eyes met with his auburn eyes and I nodded to confirm his question.

"Yes, he has an incision that is approximately one foot in length. It travels from his shoulder down to the joint where the elbow and humerus meet. He had a clean fracture, so it was a fairly simple fix. He did need about 8 pins and 1 plate, but other than that his broken arm was nothing short of a miracle. We have his arm wrapped in a swelling splint, because we cannot cast his arm due to the burns. However he is expected to have full use of his arm again with physical therapy." I grinned lightly when I noticed the looks of relief that was on the family's face. Standing, I turned to them.

"Due to the nature of their burns, I am not authorized to grant you access to their recovery room. It is just hospital policy to prevent the open wounds from getting infected, but I can however offer you the ability to look in through the window and take a look at them. I know that for some families, that is a huge comfort to see their loved ones are okay. So would any of you care to take a look?" I planted my hands in the pockets of my lab jacket. I affixed a gaze to each of the family members.

As the entire party stood, I cleared my throat to get their attention. I knew that it would not be smart to cross the Tracy family, but I am the head of my department. I know fatigue when I see it. I was offering them this chance to see their loved ones so that maybe they could get some rest. They would be unable to see their kids until the burns were closed up or bandaged for the most part.

"I will take you to see them, but first you have to promise me that after you see them you will go get a hotel room and get some proper sleep. You won't be allowed in their room for a few more days yet, and I doubt any of you would do them any good running on less than 30 minutes of sleep. For the sake of your health and your sons nerves, please go get some rest after this. I can assure you they are safe. I have them in a secure room. Only I and the colleague who operated of your sons broken bones have access to the room."

I noticed the looks of defeat cross the faces of the family. I knew they were worried to leave the hospital. Primarily the one cause of so many families staying until the discharge of the patient. The thought that if they should leave, will that be the last time they get to see their loved ones. Turning from the family, I motioned to them to follow me if they wished to see their loved ones.

I was able to hear whispering from a few members of the family that was following me into the secured hospital burn unit. I waved my badge in front of sensor, and was pleased to hear the confirmation click. Opening the door, I motioned for the family to step into the waiting corridor. After I closed the door, I redirected my attention to the families that stood in front of me.

"Okay, I do have to warn you. When I get to the boy's private room, I am the only one right now with authorized access. So I will go in and lock the door behind me. But I will open the curtain so you can go on and look at your boys. Their appearances may be quite shocking. They are hooked up to some machines, and they are covered in bandages. But that is to be expected in a hospital. They may be asleep, so don't be alarmed if they don't respond to you guys trying to get their attention. I will turn the lights above their bed up a little bit, but because of the time of night it is currently not advisable to fully lighten their rooms. Their eyes may be a bit sensitive to light for a while though. Am I clear?"

I was pleased to hear a chorus of 'Yes sir's' come from the group of males. I stopped in front of their room and flashed my badge in front of the sensor and stepped through the door when it unlocked. Shutting the door firmly, yet quietly I walked up to the window to twiddle with the blinds. Upon opening the curtains, I was greeted with 6 anxious faces. I grinned and waved at them, before making my way over to the beds. I turned up the light slightly above Fermat's bed before making my way to Alan's. I stopped and chuckled when I saw Alan grimacing at a bag hanging on a smaller IV hook. My quiet laughter must have startled him, because he looked over at me with a wide eyed gaze.

"What in god's name is that bag for?" A strangled whisper made its way from the boys' mouth. I directed my gaze at the bag in question that his bandaged left hand was pointing at and couldn't help but to chuckle again. I slowly leaned forward to turn the lights above his bed up a little brighter. Just bright enough so that his family could see that he was awake and talking. Slowly, I sat on the edge of his bed, so I could talk quietly with him without disturbing Fermat.

"Hello, again Alan. I don't know if you remember me, but I am Doctor Andreessen your current overseeing physician. That bag that you are inquiring about is attached to a urinary catheter. Due to some of the injuries you sustained, you will temporarily be unable to walk until those wounds heal. Also because of how badly injured your hand is, and I know this is going to be a little embarrassing to discuss especially with a stranger; but you are currently unable to …handle yourself properly. Your arm was broken, and is currently in a swelling splint, and both of your hands are bandaged to allow the burns to heal. So I made the decision to have you hooked up to a catheter. I am sure you know what they are for. They are used to assist you in emptying your bladder."

As I explained to Alan, I couldn't help but to notice the fiery blush spreading across his face. I grinned as a chuckle escaped my mouth. I knew that sometimes explanations like these were frustrating or even embarrassing to teenage boys such as Alan. Most boys his age didn't like to be handled as such fragile dolls, and being in the hospital was no exception to their damaged pride. Personally, when I was in the hospital, I would have rather have been cathed than to deal with the embarrassment of my father the Governor of Massachusetts walking to the toilet with one of those portable male urinals. I shuddered at the mere memory. Yep I knew exactly how Alan felt.

"Don't worry; I have been in your place a few times before. It is easier to handle being cathed than it is to deal with one of those portable male urinals that your family would have to deal with emptying for you. At least with a catheter, an orderly just has to replace the drainage bag, and off it goes to be destroyed. Problem solved." As I got to the possible outcome of his family dealing with emptying the bottle for him, I couldn't help but notice the blush had increased. He quickly began shaking his head. I chuckled again when he started saying that he would rather remain cathed until he was able to walk.

A knocking sound caught my attention. I looked up at the window to see the expectant family trying to get Alan's attention. A smile spread on my face as I got Alan to look up at the window. He gave a lopsided grin before lifting his left hand slightly before waving gently at his family. I let Alan interact with his family. I was unaware that he knew sign language. He began making hand motions that were unfamiliar to me though. Considering my younger brother is deaf, I know a great deal of sign language. But a majority of what Alan was signing appeared to be a made up language. However it appeared that his family had no trouble understanding him. I did recognize the universal "I'm sorry" sign, but past that all I understood was the made up version of "I love you" which Alan did by hovering his left hand over his eye, tapping is chest lightly and pointing at the family out the window, "good night" I was able to understand no problem because of the simple gesture, and a slightly muddled version of "see you later".

I noticed Alan's eyes drooping slightly and took this as my chance to close the curtains. I motioned to the family to wait for a minute. However, I didn't realize that I had spoken sign language to the family until I saw the astonished looks on their faces. Well that would be an explanation I was not looking forward to. As I closed the curtains and turned down the lights, I heard a faint whisper of "thank you" from Alan. I softly replied with a "your welcome" and a "go back to sleep" before exiting their private room.


	6. A Penny For Your Thoughts

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Family P.O.V

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Jeff and his four older sons peered into the window. We could see Alan's mouth moving, but couldn't hear anything that was being said. Judging from what the Alan and the doctor were motioning at, it was something embarrassing. Alan had what appeared to be a fire engine red blush present on his face until Scott knocked on the glass. Dr. Andreessen turned around and grinned before gesturing to Alan to look across the far side of the room. Jeff fought the tears that came to his eyes when he saw his youngest wave from his hospital bed. Alan looked about as tired as he himself felt. Jeff felt that he could sleep for a few months if he had the ability, especially after staying awake for three days straight. But true to his word, after they got to see Alan would he take his sons and go get a hotel room and get some proper rest.

Scott had to bite his lip to keep from crying. Alan looked so broken, but it was still a beautiful sight to see. At the scene of the rescue, it had terrified Scott when the building had collapsed and he had no way of knowing if his brother had made it out okay. It had been heartbreaking to discover that the two boys he and his brothers recued were his baby brother and his best friend. When Alan managed a gentle wave, Scott couldn't help but to chuckle softly. To Scott, Alan had what appeared to be baker's man hands. The gauze and bandages wrapped in so many layers made it appear that Alan was wearing oven mitts. Scott and his brothers waved back to let Alan see that they had seen his attempt at communication. Alan had some bandages wrapped around his forehead even, and the white bandages gave him several funny looking cowlicks.

Scott soon began making hand gestures that he and his brothers had made up when Alan had been unable to talk after the avalanche. It had been the best form of communication for a traumatized 3 year old at the time, and it worked for now. Soon Scott was relaying messages to Alan from his other family members, keeping in mind that Alan would be limited to primarily yes and no answers. A tear fell from Scott's eye when Alan motioned the brother's made up sign for 'I love you' to him and the family. Looking directly into Alan's blue eyes, Scott could see the relief that had settled there and the pain. Not once was he able to spot fear, or anger. Noticing his little brother's eyes were drooping, Scott signaled that they should call it a night.

John peered into the window of his baby brother's hospital room. To see him alive and okay for the most part was a relief. John smiled when Alan waved at them. To John, it looked as though Alan was going to be parading around as a mummy for the Christmas holiday. The bandages were wrapped around his hands all the way up to his elbows. John placed his hand on the glass; he wanted so badly to give his brother a hug and a kiss on the forehead. John thought back to when he had heard the distress signal from Fermat's watch from up on Thunderbird 5, he remembered that he thought his heart had stopped. Why had it only been Fermat's distress signal and not Alan's as well? When John opened up a video transmission with Fermat's watch, he could remember the smoke wafting in and around his brother and his friend. Both boys coughing in an attempt to clear their lungs of the choking smoke.

Seeing Fermat's red face and hazy eyes, and hearing Alan in the background coughing harshly. He remembered hearing running water and Fermat's admittance to dousing them with water so they could attempt to escape. John had at the time, wanted to tell the boys to stay in their bedroom and wait for help, but was now glad he hadn't. If he had, the life of his baby brother and best friend may have been no more, because the whole school had collapsed not even 5 minutes after the boys sprinted out on injured feet and legs. Shuddering at the decision he almost made, he asked Scott to tell Alan to hang in there for him…in their own made up form of sign language. John struggled not to cry when Alan had tilted his head and smiled before nodding his head , promising his brother and family that he would not give up without a fight.

Virgil stood amongst the huddled mass that was his family peeking in through the window at the youngest member of their family. Virgil silently observed Alan's movements to try to gauge his pain level. The doctor in him never ceased to quit, especially when his family was involved. Alan appeared to be in control of his pain for the time being. He couldn't help but to clench his teeth together when he could make out the swelling cast that was on his brother's arm. From the distance that he was currently at, he could already see Alan's arm was a lovely shade of dark purple, the broken bone and surgery making it all the more obvious against Alan's sun-kissed skin. Virgil tilted his head in thought. What exactly had happened within the raging inferno? How did it start and was it intentional or accidental? To Virgil he could see that Alan seemed shocked. Almost like the shock one receives when they get good or bad news. Passing it off as astonishment that what happened was real and there was no turning back the hands of time.

Virgil knew that both Alan and Fermat would most likely be scarred mentally from this devastating blow. Both boys 14 and 12 had braved the horrors of a massive fire and had just barely escaped with their lives. Had the boys not been injured with broken bones, they may have gotten out sooner and with minor injuries, but something terrifying happened and the two boys had to make quick work of freeing themselves from what had appeared to be the flames of Hell. Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind of the terrifying thoughts, Virgil took notice that Alan was combating sleep to continue seeing them. Signaling to Scott, Virgil asked him to tell their baby brother good night for him and that he loves him. Virgil smiled himself when Alan offered a warm smile in place of hand gestures. Wrapping an arm around John's shoulders, Virgil laid his head on his older brother's shoulder, feeling relaxed in knowing that Alan would be okay.

Gordon watched his older brothers discreetly. He could remember when he had approached the headmaster of Wharton's; the man was flabbergasted and could hardly speak straight. Gordon had to make quick work of deciphering the nonsensical babble to ascertain that there had been two students still trapped within the flames of Hell and they had not heard hide nor hair from them signifying whether they were fine, injured or dead. When Gordon had looked around at the sea of terrified male students most of which were crying and clutching at the person closest to them, he could remember feeling dismayed that he was unable to locate his brother and best friend. However, the screams from afar took him off guard and he turned around to spot two boys within the immediate danger zone flailing around on the ground in the snow. He took off at a sprint in their direction; he could see flames on their clothing and could tell from the pitch of the screams that they were being burned.

However he made a quick detour into Thunderbird 2's medi-bay when he watched Virgil and Scott make quick work of stifling the flames which covered the backs of the boy's shirts. Grabbing a couple backboards and restraints, Gordon took off out of the medi-bay. He could see that the boys were no longer in immediate danger and slowed to a jog when he saw Virgil and Scott place them in the snow a short distance from their rescue vehicles. Gordon had remembered how he had faltered while running when he heard the sickening snaps of the support beams of Wharton's structure. The ground shook and smoke and ash billowed around the area as the once majestic building collapsed in on itself, the flames reigniting with a vengeance as fresh timbers were revealed for fuel. Gordon visibly paled at the memory.

Shaking away the terrifying memory, Gordon focused on Alan. The boy looked as though he could fall asleep at any moment and Gordon just wanted nothing more than to throw his arm over his younger brother's shoulder before giving the boy a noogie. Nudging Scott he asked him to tell him that he loved his little brother and hoped to plan some awesome pranks with him soon. Gordon grinned in mirth when Alan stuck his tongue out at him. He knew his brother was being a kid and detested being told that he loved him. The closest that Gordon and Alan ever came to telling each other they loved one another was a headache inducing noogie. The two youngest brothers felt odd expressing themselves with the other, so they opted for putting time, love and tenderness into the pranks that they often played on each other.

Alan sat in his hospital bed and struggled to not try to talk. Dr. Andreessen had warned him that his throat would need to recover. Apparently a little bit of his trachea and esophagus had been partially burned by the hot ash and smoke that had been swirling around him and Fermat. As Alan conversed with his family using limited hand gestures, he had to keep from breaking into tears. His doctor was perching on the edge of his bed, and Alan didn't want to appear weak in front of his family or his doctor; 14 years old be damned. He would be strong, and would only willingly shed his tears when he was by himself.

As Alan read the hand gestures being made by Scott, his mind traveled back to Wharton's. Waking up in his dorm and smelling smoke. Alan quickly but gently shook his head to rid himself of the alarming memories. Noticing Dr. Andreessen watching him from the corner of his eye, Alan resumed his communication with Scott. He had felt embarrassed when he saw Gordon say something to Scott, only for Scott to sign to him that 'his other half' loved him dearly and that he couldn't wait until he was well enough to continue planning pranks with him. Because one hand was wrapped up with gauze in what Dr. Andreessen had called a swelling splint, and the other was bandaged with enough bandages to make him look like that biscuit ad character…something-or-other doughboy, Alan had been unable to flip Gordon the bird…not that he would with his doctor and father present one on either side of the glass. So Alan just settled on sticking his tongue out at his older brother.

Stifling a yawn, Alan began coughing lightly. When the coughing wouldn't subside and quickly began making his already sore throat hurt more, he looked at Dr. Andreessen pleadingly. The kind doctor made his way to a cupboard within the sterile room and pulled out a small portable oxygen tank and mask. Alan almost began crying tears in relief when he felt the soothingly cool air enter his lungs. Taking deep gulping breathes, Alan's coughing soon subsided. Glancing back over to the window, he saw the fearful looks on the faces of his family and best friend's father.

Grinning, Alan continued signing. Alan's first gesture signaled that he was in fact okay, but just needed help with breathing. Alan felt scared to part with the comforting faces of his family when Scott suggested he go to bed and get some rest. Alan could see how tired everyone in the hall truly was, and put his discomfort aside and bid them a good night. Waving goodbye, he slowly reclined back until he was lying in his bed rather than sitting and closed his eyes. As he heard Dr. Andreessen getting close to the door, he managed a weak sounding whisper of thank you which was returned with a simple your welcome and a gentle order to go to sleep, which Alan quickly gave into.

####################

General P.O.V

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As Dr. Andreessen exited Alan and Fermat's private hospital room, Jeff couldn't help the tears that slowly began cascading down his face. He had been able to feel a small amount of relief at seeing his baby boy alive, and awake. Those three days that he heard no news had felt like eons, multiplied by at least a hundred times to the terrified father. When he heard the knock on the door to the private family waiting room, he had sadly expected that he would be told that his son had not made it, that his injuries had been too great. That is the most unfortunate monster that can be created from fear or in this case a parent's worst nightmare. That monster is the doubt that is born from the fear. Doubt that the last time you got to see your child, unkind words had been said in fits of anger and irritation and there would be no way to have taken them back, to tell your child you love them and hold them close.

Jeff attempted to reign in his tears, but the look on the doctor's face told the worried father that it was perfectly okay to cry. It would not make him any less of a man to cry tears of fear for his son's health, tears of anger that this whole disaster had happened, tears of gratitude for the quick thinking of his sons in the immediate care of their little brother or tears of relief at seeing his son was alive albeit seriously injured. A comforting hand on his shoulder made Jeff turn his head slightly. He could see tears in Brains eyes, the friends and colleagues both sharing in the torment of the last three days. Both men had the same look in their eyes. Relief combined with hope, hope that their sons would come out of this event whole in the end.

"Okay, now Jeff, I want you to take your family to the hotel two blocks away. They will allow immediate family of patients receiving medical attention to stay in their facilities for free. When we reach the nurses' station outside the burn unit, I will print up the information for them. They will need the patient's number we have assigned and the treatment they are to be receiving as proof. It is hospital policy to provide this service to the family of our patients. The hotel's name is Quality Rest." Holding up his hand, Dr. Andreessen continued speaking effectively cutting off Jeff's protest. "I want you all to go get some sleep, and to not come back for at least 8 hours. As I am the head of the burn unit department, I am the only one permitted to allow family in to visit the patients, so I will know if you return before the allotted 8 hours. Please do it for your sons, they can't focus on healing if they are worried about your wellbeing's."

"Okay. We'll go, but when Alan and Fermat awaken, can you please tell them we will see them soon?" John chimed in, practically taking the words out of everybody's mouths.

"Absolutely. Since they are my only patients, I will be checking in on them frequently. Then I can provide updates on their conditions through the night should any of you contact us, now it is 10 pm and none of you appear to have slept in the last three days, so I will personally escort you out." Dr. Andreessen grinned; he was poking fun to try to lighten the somber mood of the family. It worked like magic on the current youngest member of the concerned party. Gordon had begun being his playful self, which immediately seemed to lighten the mood of the family.

Standing near the entrance of the hospital burn unit, Dr. Andreessen heaved a sigh of relief as he waved goodbye to the family of Alan Tracy and Fermat Hackenbacker. Sometimes dealing with family is more exhausting than dealing with patients. Straightening up, Dr. Andreessen went to get himself a quick cup of coffee to keep him alert until the orthopedist Dr. McNulty, the surgeon who had operated on both Alan and Fermat came to relieve him of his shift. The colleagues had agreed to this arrangement in order to limit the number of ingoing and outgoing individuals. It was better to have limited contact until the burns were fully covered or better yet healed. But Dr. Andreessen knew he couldn't and wouldn't keep the boys' family away for that length of time.

Upon re-entering the private room Dr. Andreessen couldn't help but to smile. He kept an ever watchful over the peacefully sleeping teenage boys that were designated under his care. Deciding to leave the boys to sleep, he retired to the nurse's station. After sitting down, Dr. Andreessen began filling out paperwork. However he made it a regular point to periodically go check on the boys to update their statuses. Unfortunately one such check resulted in sedation.


	7. Just a Bad Dream

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Alan Dream Sequence

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_ Opening his eyes, all he could see was a blinding orange glow. Crawling out of bed to go awaken his best friend, he found himself overcome with smoke. Clutching at his throat, Alan coughed harshly. It hurt. He felt like someone was gripping his throat and squeezing it, cutting off the precious oxygen he so desperately needed. Dropping to his knees he clenched his jaw to try to stifle the painful cough trying to force itself out._

_ "F-Fer-m-ma-t." Alan tried to call out to his best friend, but soon found himself unable to keep his eyes open. He was seeing a bunch of black spots and he dropped to his knees. As he laid down on the floor, he could feel himself slowly beginning to slip off into unconsciousness. But a voice called out to him. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the blue glasses of his best friend._

_ Fermat was knelt beside Alan, and Alan could faintly recall hearing Fermat yell at him that they needed to escape. Before he knew it, Alan was being hauled to his feet, and drug into a darkened room. A bright light came on with a flash, and Alan could faintly recall being in the bathroom that was attached to their dorm room. Alan began to object as he was pushed into the bath tub._

_ An ice-cold deluge of water cascaded over the top of his head, and Alan yelped in shock. The water was freaking cold! He soon became aware of Fermat kneeling in the tub beside him. Both boys were soon sopping wet. Alan struggled to contain his coughs, but with his teeth chattering, it was quickly becoming impossible. Lowering his head, Alan began hacking. The smoke that had been filling their dorm room was seeping into the bathroom, and was making the air painful to breath. Even under the ice-cold water, the air was stifling._

_ He could make out a conversation going on between two people, but was unable to open his burning eyes. He continued coughing, and felt himself slipping out of consciousness. A hard slap on his cheek brought him out of it. Barely managing to open his eyes he could see Fermat with tear filled eyes staring angrily up at him._

_ "D-Don't fall a-asleep! W-We are l-leaving now! We n-n-must get o-outside!" Alan could barely hear what Fermat was yelling at him. The running water, combined with the dull roar of the fire within the building drowning out Fermat's frantic voice._

_ Being pulled up by his arm, Fermat quickly tied a wet towel over Alan's face. The cool towel felt marvelous. All too soon though Fermat was holding Alan's hand guiding his barefoot companion from the shelter of the cold water and into the stifling heat. Gazing into each other's worry filled eyes, Fermat wrapped the spare wet towel around the door handle and pulled the door open. Alan and Fermat both dropped to their knees at the heat wave that flooded into the bathroom where they were. Opening his eyes, Alan felt his pupils contract._

_ Flames were dropping from the ceiling, and crackled across the expanse of his duvet. The wall closest to Fermat's bed was engulfed in flames, and if not for the bright orange light being supplied by the flames, the boys would be unable to see from the black smoke filling their room. Alan placed his hand to his mouth. Another painful cough racked his frame, and he became aware of his throat burning. Fermat quickly grabbed Alan's hand and towed him along to the door leading into the hall. Bracing themselves for another heat wave, the boys threw the door open._

_ Flames raced in, and Alan soon found himself waving his arms in front of himself to prevent the flames from getting on his clothes. Grabbing each other's hands the two boys ran. Skidding around the corner, Alan felt the hot embers snapping under his bare feet. He hopped along, trying to ignore the pain. All too soon, he noticed Fermat doing the same thing as both boys were barefoot. As the frantic boys ran, Alan took notice of an eerie groaning sound happening above him. Urging Fermat along the boys continued to run side by side._

_*SNAP*_

_ Alan screamed in agony. A beam from the ceiling had slammed into his right arm. Lying on his stomach, he could no longer hear Fermat yelling at him. Instead he could hear Fermat screaming in agony on the other side of the flame engulfed beam. Biting his lip, Alan turned his head, and felt bile rising in his throat. He could not see his arm! It was lying underneath the burning beam, and Alan felt like just giving up. But then, he felt the beam shifting and heard another groan from the ceiling._

_ '__**I don't want to die! I want to see dad and the guys again! I'm not ready to go with you mom!'**__ Alan swallowed, forcing the churning in his stomach to abate. Making his decision, Alan took a deep breath before twisting his lower body around slightly. Calling out to Fermat, he managed to get the boy to help him. If they wanted to fight to stay alive, they would need to try to lift the beam off their bodies._

_ Placing his left hand underneath it, he hollered over the roar of the flames to Fermat to do the same thing. Slowly lifting it up, Alan felt the pressure on his arm go away. Screaming in anguish again, Alan managed to pull his arm out. Holding it up a little bit longer, he heard Fermat scream out that he had been freed from under the beam. A loud boom was heard and the ground shook. Alan held his breath, before groaning in pain. As he stood up slowly, he felt the room begin to spin. Shaking his head gently, Alan managed to clear his vision. Glancing around, and stifling a cough he could make out a small body lying on the ground._

"Alan! Wake up!"

_Tears filled Alan's eyes as he watched his best friend lying on the ground unmoving. Stepping over the burning beam, Alan dropped to his knees beside his best friend. Fermat's glasses were lying on the ground beside his head, and his eyes were closed. The boy was clutching at his ankle and sobbing._

_ "FERMAT!"_

"Alan! Alan it's okay, it's just a nightmare!"

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End Dream Sequence

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TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

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General POV

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Alan's eyes shot open, tears streaming down his face. He looked around frantically, before setting his gaze on the kind face in front of him. Gasping for breath, he soon began coughing. A cool air was placed over his mouth and nose. Opening his eyes, Alan noticed an oxygen mask being secured to his face.

"Alan, it's me Dr. Andreessen. Alan you are okay. You just had a nightmare. Take deep breaths." The doctor placed his hand palm flat on Alan's chest. Alan gulped at the air racing in from the mask. "Calm down. You are safe Alan. Do you remember why you are in the hospital?"

"S-school f-fire…" Alan croaked out. His throat was sore, and he barely managed a whisper.

"That's right Alan." Dr. Andreessen grinned in relief when he felt Alan's breaths coming in at a normal pace. Glancing up at the monitor, he could see Alan's heart rate was going back down to a non-alarming level. Stepping back from the bed, Dr. Andreessen reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe.

"Okay Alan. I know you are scared, but I would like to sedate you so you can get some sleep. I am going to put it into your IV line so you won't feel a thing. Okay?" Leaning over the boy slightly when he nodded his consent, the kind doctor removed the cap, before sticking the needle into the plastic line and pushing the plunger. Alan gazed at the IV in his arm, and could slowly feel the effects of the medicine flowing into his veins. When his eyes began to droop, Alan asked for his dad unsure if the slurred speech affected his request.

Dr. Andreessen stepped back and watched the teen with a careful eye. He glanced up at the monitors several times to make sure that Alan was okay. When he had walked in to Alan thrashing around and screaming, he had gone into full doctor mode. He had to speak softly to the boy to calm him down and he had to also make sure that Alan's panic didn't awaken his roommate. Apparently that other boy could sleep through anything; he didn't even stir when Alan had begun screaming.

Leaving the room, Dr. Andreessen approached the nurse's station and sat down to update Alan's chart. He had to give 2mgs of Versed to the boy in order to calm his terror enough to ease him back to sleep. Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was half past three in the morning. Dr. McNulty would be coming to relieve him from his shift watching Alan and Fermat at 4. Checking the voicemail, he was pleased to find that Alan's family had apparently taken his advice to get some sleep. Dr. Andreessen felt exhausted himself. This day felt unbelievably long. He had been staying in his apartment a block from the hospital, but found his thoughts kept turning to his young patients and their family.

What was it about the family that offered him the ability to reflect? He had long since given up the social parties and fancy gala dinners that he and his two younger brothers had been forced to attend while their dad had been governor. He had read about the Tracy family, but nothing was ever mentioned about them attending formal events that he had. They seemed to be a very private family, but extremely close-knit. Shaking his head Dr. Andreessen found himself broken from his revere by Dr. McNulty.

"All right Zach. It is my turn to take over the shift. You go on and get some rest. It looks like it is going to be another busy day later." Dr. Andreessen leaned back in his chair to observe his best friend and colleague, Dr. Samuel McNulty.

"Hey Sam. Okay, I'm going. But um…just figured that you ought to know…I had to give Alan 2 mgs of Versed. It is in his charts, but in case his family calls you can let them know I had to sedate him after he suffered a panic attack after waking up from a nightmare. He is sleeping now though, so you can reassure them that all is well." Dr. McNulty smiled, before offering a hand to Dr. Andreessen.

"No problem Zach. I got it covered from here." Dr. McNulty ushered his friend from the nurse's station, before returning to the vacated chair and sitting down himself. It was going to be another day filled with overtime for both physicians. Glancing at the charts, Dr. McNulty made a few notes on his observations of the two youths.


	8. Words I Needed to Hear

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Jeff POV

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I opened my eyes to see my oldest son Scott sleeping in the bed beside me. I felt confused for a few moments when I couldn't figure out why my son was sleeping in my bed, then the memory came crashing down on me. Alan and Fermat had been caught up in a fire and were currently admitted to the hospital's burn unit a block or two away. Leaning up to lay on my elbows I glanced over Scott's shoulder to see the alarm clock on the bedside table. It read 9 in the morning.

I could remember checking in to the hotel at about 10:30 and I want to say I fell asleep at about 11. So I had been asleep for a good ten hours. Shaking my head slightly, I lifted the duvet up before gently climbing out of bed. I didn't want to disturb Scott or my other sons. Brains and Gordon were sleeping in an adjacent room. Virgil and John were sharing a bed across the room. All three of my older sons were still sleeping soundly.

I gathered some clothes from my suitcase and slipped into the bathroom to get dressed. I wanted to get to the hospital, but I felt that a shower would help to wake me up more. My thoughts turned to my youngest son again. He looked so frail when he was lying in that hospital bed. It scared me to see him like that. He was only 14 years old for God's sake, why did everything bad happen to him?

Stepping out of the shower, I hurriedly got dressed. I wanted desperately to go see my son. I ran my fingers through my hair and opened the door to the bathroom. The light had been turned on and Scott and John were sitting up on the edge of the bed bleary eyed. Virgil sat at the desk over by the window on the phone. It appeared that he was ordering breakfast for us all.

"Good morning boys." I managed a serene smile. But it wasn't easy to smile like that to my sons. I wanted to hold my youngest in my arms and tell him I loved him. Before the fire had occurred, Alan and I had gotten into a slight argument. I had received a call from Alan's headmaster to say that Alan had gotten a detention for passing notes in class. I was angry that Alan had allegedly said he was not to blame, but I didn't stop to verify the facts of the note.

Alan's headmaster had said the note was a sort of argument between another student and Alan. According to the note, threats had been issued towards my son and he had basically utilized a bit of colorful language in response to the threats. I was ashamed that my son couldn't take a more diplomatic approach to resolving the argument. I knew Alan hadn't been the primary cause of the argument, but I had jumped to conclusions. In the end Alan and I had had words and the argument ended with Alan disconnecting the call in the middle of my lecture.

I had been planning on calling Alan back the next day to apologize for losing my temper when John had sounded the alarm for the rescue. My heart nearly stopped when I found out the location of the rescue was my youngest son's school, and I nearly lost my head when Scott and the boys said they had Alan and Fermat and were escorting them to the hospital. I shook my head to clear my head of my disconcerting thoughts when I heard Scott speak.

"Morning dad." Scott asked while in mid yawn, and I couldn't help but to chuckle. None of my sons were really morning people unless you took Alan out of the equation. Alan was always up early. Aside from Tin-Tin, Kyrano and Onaha, Alan was the next early riser. In a house full of lazy bones, Alan was probably the least likely lazy one when it came to starting their day.

"Hey dad, I ordered breakfast for all of us. I already went next door and Gordon and Brains were awake. I hope you don't mind." I regarded my middle son with a grin. It was just like the medic of the family to be more concerned about our overall health and diets. I walked over to the window to peer outside at the peaceful morning. A light powdering of snow had fallen during the night and the sun's rays glinted off the snowy crystals. It was definitely a beautiful morning, but it would be even better if I was here by choice instead of here because one of my sons and best friend's son was admitted to the hospital.

I turned slightly when I heard a knock at the door. Before I could walk to the door however, my bedraggled son John stood to answer it. Virgil and I had to stifle a laugh at how John looked. His platinum blonde hair stuck up in several spots, and his bedclothes were wrinkled. It only seemed to dawn on everybody that they were still in their pajamas when the bellhop entered our room. I pulled out my billfold to tip the bellhop, but he turned me down. I however insisted that he accept the tip. He took it gratefully, and laughed when John yelped over how he looked.

As I closed the door to our room, I noticed John and Scott arguing over who was taking a shower first. I decided to make them work for it. A game of rock paper scissors was a good alternative to tackles and tickles so early in the morning. However when my two older sons began playing the game, I noticed a soft closing of the bathroom door. Virgil had taken advantage of the still empty bathroom and I began laughing wholeheartedly.

"Dude! Wait your turn!" Scott growled under his breath.

"Seriously? Ugh…wake me back up when everybody is done with the shower." John groaned as he lay back down to return to the wonderful world of sleep.

I looked through the tray of food and decided on the eggs benedict. Sitting at the desk, I quickly tore into my food. I wanted to be ready to go to the hospital when everybody was finished with their breakfast. Scott followed my example and sat down to eat as well.

"So how did you sleep dad? I fell asleep not long after you did." I looked up at Scott and I could see that he appeared more at ease.

"I slept well. I was surprised that I had slept for ten hours though. I must have needed it." I poured a mug of coffee from the carafe on the breakfast tray.

"That's good to hear. I was afraid you might not get adequate sleep after three days of no sleep." Scott smiled lightly at me as he sipped at some orange juice.

"How about you son, did you sleep okay?" Scott nodded in answer to me. I could see he was thoughtfully chewing his breakfast.

"Yeah, probably some of the best sleep I have gotten in a while." I poured myself another cup of coffee and exchanged my empty plate for an apple as Scott spoke.

I stood up from the desk when I heard a knock at the door. Striding across the room, I peered through the peephole to see Brains and Gordon in the hall. I quickly opened the door to let them in.

"Good morning Gordon, Brains. How did you two sleep?" Jeff greeted his second youngest son and close friend.

"Fine Dad" Gordon replied softly, he still looked tired but that was to be expected.

"V-Very well Jeff. A-And yours-self?" Brains asked with a lopsided grin.

"I slept surprisingly well. Come on in. I believe Virgil ordered you guys' breakfast as well. After we have eaten, we can go check in with Alan and Fermat's doctor." Jeff tried to stifle a chuckle at Gordon's eyes brightening up at the mention of food.

Stepping aside, Jeff allowed Brains and Gordon into the room. After Virgil exited the bathroom, Scott got in next. Gordon felt playful after finishing his breakfast and thus dug out a magic marker before drawing on John's face who was once again dead to the world. Jeff buried his head in his arms when John awoke…he was laughing too hard and his eyes were watering which gave the appearance of crying.

John sat up and stretched. Anytime Jeff would raise his head, he found himself physically incapable of shutting off his laughter. John looked so funny. Gordon had drawn a big bushy black mustache on John's face and colored in his eyebrows. Then he drew little circles on John's eyelids and anytime Jeff glimpsed at his son he found himself sputtering in laughter. Virgil and Brains quickly joined Jeff in laughter, the middle son mimicking his father's actions of hiding his face within the shelter of his arms.

"What is it? Is there something on my face?" John asked, confusion covering his every word.

Jeff struggled to gain his composure, but when the bathroom door opened to reveal Scott towel drying his hair, Jeff found that he couldn't contain his laughter anymore. He wrapped an arm around his stomach and laughed. It was not just a soft chuckle, it was a raucous laughter. Scott immediately joined in when he saw John's face and the platinum haired brother stood stock still.

"Sin-Since when d-did you t-take up g-grow-growing a m-mustache J-John?" Gordon clutched at his stomach. He was laughing hard enough to lose his footing and drop to his knees. John ran to the bathroom and nearly screamed when he cleared the steam covered mirror and saw the new changes to his face.

"GORDON!" Jeff stood up at that and pulled the bathroom door shut on his fuming son. Jeff quickly placed a new change of clothes in the bathroom for his second born. No need to allow John to kill Gordon before they got to check on the youngest member of their family. Jeff sobered up at the thought. Scott noticed the frown on Jeff's face, and strolled over before speaking quietly to his father.

"Hey dad. You okay?" Jeff held a grim smile firmly on his face.

"Yeah, I am gonna step into the hall and call the doctor. I want to make sure nothing bad has happened to your brother." Jeff stood up and made to grab his cell phone when Scott halted his movements. He shot his oldest son a pleading look. But Scott shot a determined look right back at him.

"Make the call in here. You can put it on speaker phone so we can all listen to the doctor. I want to know just as much as you do, but we are in this together." Jeff nodded pathetically at what his oldest son said. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jeff dialed the private number to Dr. Andreessen, but found himself puzzled when someone else answered the call.

"Hello, this is Dr. McNulty speaking." The person identified themselves and Jeff stared at his phone…he had called Dr. Andreessen's number. So why was somebody else answering the phone?

"Um…hello. This is Jeff Tracy calling. I was wondering if Dr. Andreessen was available. I would like an update on my son Alan and Fermat's father Hiram would like an update on his son also." Jeff gazed around at the anxious faces. He noticed John was still showering as the bathroom door was closed, but still. The entire family, and yes Jeff considered Brains to be part of the family was gathered around Jeff waiting to hear news on two of the youngest members of their family.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Tracy. I apologize, but Dr. Andreessen is currently changing the dressings on Alan's burns. He just finished with Fermat, and is currently working on Alan. I trust you and your family slept well?" Jeff bit his lip. He had a vague recollection that changing the dressings of burn patients was a painful process. He wanted to ask how Alan's pain level was, but Virgil beat him to it.

"Um Dr. McNulty. This is Alan's older brother Virgil. Could you by any chance tell me how Alan is doing pain wise?" Virgil's dark eyebrows were knit together with worry over his little brother's condition.

"Oh, Zach mentioned you were the Tracy doctor. Alan is okay at the moment. Dr. Andreessen gave him some oxycodone to lessen the pain. They should be done in about 45 minutes. Zach is trying to make it to where the boys can have limited access to family." Scott looked at Jeff with a frown. He mouthed 'who's Zach' to Jeff, which his reply was a shrug of the shoulders. Jeff noticed Dr. McNulty stopped talking briefly and took that as a chance to ask the million dollar question.

"Dr. McNulty? Who exactly is Zach?" Jeff felt embarrassed to be asking, but wanted an answer nonetheless.

"Pardon me; I forgot I am speaking to family. Dr. Andreessen's first name is Zach. I always refer to him by name and on occasions I forget whether I am talking to colleagues or family of patients, my apologies. My name is Samuel McNulty by the way. But you may call me Sam. On occasions Zach will refer to me by name, so just so you aren't confused you can reference me by Dr. McNulty or just Sam." Jeff smiled at the mistake. Grinning he shook his head in amusement.

"That's quite alright Sam. So can you tell me how the boys did last night? Dr. Andreessen said I could call intermittently through the night, but I just woke up a little less than an hour ago." Jeff was truly curious. How was Alan doing, and had he slept okay through the night or was he in a copious amount of pain? A sigh answered him back, while typing could be heard.

"Alan…he slept fine through the night, but suffered a brief panic attack at about three this morning. Dr. Andreessen felt it was necessary to sedate Alan slightly with 2 mgs of Versed." Dr. McNulty paused briefly, and Jeff found himself trying not to bite his lip too hard. "According to Dr. Andreessen's notes Alan had been in the middle of a nightmare which the doctor had to awaken him from. He only did the sedation because Alan was flailing and he didn't want Alan to hurt his arm or irritate his burns. After he sedated him, Alan went back to sleep and woke up not too long ago."

"Do you have any idea what his nightmare was about?" Scott asked this time, in complete disarray of mother hen mode.

"Yes, Dr. Andreessen noted that Alan was talking in his sleep. It would appear that he was calling out for his friend Fermat. Fermat however who was on the other side of the room didn't stir to his calls. Dr. Andreessen and I both believe that maybe he dreamt of the fire. You will have to ask Zach about what all was said from Alan right before he was sedated though. I'm afraid he only gave a brief summarization of the events leading up to the sedation." Dr. McNulty paused in his dissertation.

"Have there been any other changes in Alan or Fermat?" Virgil chimed in. Brains heaved a sigh in relief. Virgil must have asked the question that was on Brain's mind.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary anyway. Both Alan and Fermat woke this morning and both boys were requesting to see their fathers. That is why Dr. Andreessen is dressing their burns so that they may be allowed some contact with family. Unfortunately we are only permitting Jeff Tracy and Hiram Hackenbacker clearance to enter their rooms, provided of course that they are wearing sterile clothing. We will provide the scrubs that you are to wear into their room." Jeff found himself blinking back tears. He would get to see his baby boy and actually get to talk to him a little bit. All he wanted to do was hold his youngest son in a tight hug and never let go.

"Thank you doctor, um…about how soon until our dad is permitted in to see Alan?" Scott worried his lip as he asked the question weighing heavily on his mind.

"Alan will need at least thirty minutes after having his burns dressed to calm down. The pain medicine will have made him noticeably groggy, and we would like for him to be a bit more alert before you come in. I believe it will make the visit a bit more enjoyable." You could hear the smile in Dr. McNulty's voice as he said the last part.

"Okay. We will be there in maybe another hour. If you or Dr. Andreessen should talk to our boys, please tell them we will see them soon. We would very much appreciate it." Jeff spoke softly. The bathroom door opened quietly and John poked his head out of the bathroom. The magic marker had thankfully been washed off, and Scott held a finger to his mouth to signal for silence.

"Thank you Dr. McNulty. We will be seeing you soon. Good-bye." Jeff disconnected the call and slowly lowered his head into his hands. Anyone could see he was trying not to cry. Scott placed a comforting hand on his father's shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" Worry was evident in John's voice who was on his knees in front of his father, trying to get him to look at him.

"Yeah, everything is going to be okay. The doctors..." Virgil answered his older brother's question before his voice caught. Virgil himself was trying not to cry.

"The doctors are allowing dad and brains to see Alan…and Fermat." Gordon barely managed to whisper the words John had been longing to hear. Tears coursed down Gordon's face. John rose up to a crouch and pulled his dad into a hug. It was obvious the oldest Tracy was having trouble keeping his emotions in check. Jeff shoulders were shaking, and choked sobs could be heard from behind his hands.

"I…finally…finally after th-three long days get…to see my…b-baby boy." Jeff managed a broken whisper. As he lifted his head, Scott hugged him around the neck. Jeff's face was red, and tears were streaming down his face. But they were tears of joy at being able to see his son, so soon after the fire.

Jeff wrapped strong arms around John's back and took comfort in the fierce hug. He felt relief. His prayers to Lucy had apparently been heard. He would finally get to see Alan, his baby boy after three days of waiting, three long painful days of not knowing. Jeff raised his head slightly to notice Gordon, Virgil and Brains sitting in silence with tears in their eyes. The Tracy patriarch motioned for them to join the hug and even after some prodding, Brains eventually joined in. The entire family took comfort in the action and smiled in spite of their tears. It would seem, that despite the burns, Alan and Fermat would be on the road to recovery very soon.


	9. A Peaceful Memory

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General POV

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The electric sliding glass doors opened with a 'swish'. When the doors closed, Jeff sighed heavily. The entire family was going to go visit Alan and Fermat, with the exception of Jeff and Brains being allowed within the room. Alan's brothers would be kept out in the hall, where they could communicate through the glass with their brother. As they neared the elevator that would take them up to the burn unit, they encountered a reporter.

"Excuse me, Mr. Tracy! But could you perhaps answer for me, why you and your family are entering the hospital? Would it have anything to do with the fire that consumed your youngest son's school? Mr. Tracy!" The male reporter ran along behind Jeff and his family, and Jeff struggled to tame his rising ire.

"No comment." Jeff replied tersely. He just wanted to get in the elevator and away from this sorry excuse for a reporter.

"Mr. Tracy! Please, just a moment of your time!" Jeff could feel a headache coming on from the clamoring of the reporters.

"No comment." Jeff repeated his previous statement. He sped up his pace, trying to evade the reporters. Now was not the time to have an interview…hell anytime was a bad time to have an interview in his opinion. It wasn't pleasant when he became a legendary astronaut or when Tracy Enterprises became a commonly mentioned thing.

The elevator doors opened and Jeff almost cried in relief to see Dr. Andreessen. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that the doctor appeared agitated. The man stood in the doorway of the elevator with his arms crossed across his chest and his green eyes looked angered. His brown eyebrows were knit together, and it was obvious the doctor was mad. Jeff and the family faltered when the doctor walked right past them and up to a reporter.

"I am going to have to ask you to please leave. This is a hospital and you are disturbing the patients." Dr. Andreessen spoke quietly, but it was obvious to anybody that he was agitated with the reporters.

Jeff and his family watched the interaction. Jeff didn't feel sorry for the dressing down that the reporters were receiving from the agitated doctor. It served them right. The reporters had no right to set foot in the hospital, and badger patients or their family.

"Hello, Zachariah Andreessen. Or should I say Zachariah Pellegrini? How is your father by the way? I bet the ex-governor of Massachusetts is saddened that his eldest son would rather get down and dirty with the dogs and not remain with the socialites of today's time." The Tracy family's jaws dropped. Most reporters weren't that ballsy, but there was always one that risked their life for the story of the century.

"Get out! Must I repeat myself? This is a hospital not a fairground or park. You are disturbing the patients and their families! Please leave before I call security. Out!" Dr. Andreessen stood firmly, with a finger pointing outside. With the threat of security, most of the reporters fled to the sidewalks just beyond hospital property, except the one reporter.

"Mr. Pellegrini, what would your father say? Surely he would be sickened that the prince of the party in the socialite world finds pleasure in helping people of lower standards. That is after all how your little brother lost his hearing wasn't it? An ear infection contracted in a lower than adequate hospital?" Scott noticed Dr. Andreessen's shoulders hunch up slightly. It was becoming more than noticeable that Dr. Andreessen was losing his control over the situation.

"Do not talk about my little brother! You and those…people chased him around for his entire life. It was a godsend that he could receive surgery to have hearing aids implanted, so he would finally know what was happening with these monsters following him around day and night trying to get a mute…that's right I said mute…boy to speak! It's monsters like you that do not know the meaning of personal space! My father doesn't hold any ill will towards the hospital or staff that caused my baby brother to lose his hearing. Don't presume you know what we have gone through!" Dr. Andreessen's green eyes were alight with rage. Nobody talked down about him or his family and got away with it. Thankfully the receptionist noticed the uproar and called security to escort the reporter from the premises.

After the security guards accompanied the reporter from hospital property, Dr. Andreessen turned and stalked back towards the elevator. His green eyes showed his irritation and so did the muttering. The Tracy family and Brains followed tentatively unsure how the previously kind doctor would react. After the elevator doors closed, Dr. Andreessen heaved a sigh and closed his eyes before allowing himself to become composed.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Reporters are always hanging around and just waiting for a fresh story to arise." Jeff glanced nervously at the now composed doctor in his midst. Surely he didn't think he was the cause of the reporters hanging around the hospital.

"It's quite alright. I usually just try to ignore them, unless of course they lay a hand on me, my family or staff, then heads will spin." Jeff wanted to ask what the doctor's real name was, but knew the question to be more than inappropriate and rude. Apparently the doctor detected Jeff's unspoken question because he began to explain.

"I apologize about losing my temper back there. But I have told the press over a thousand times that they are not permitted to enter hospital grounds. I never expected they would swarm you and your family at the front door. I received a complaint from one of the maternity patients' family members that the press made it next to impossible for her to get in through the front door. When I came out of the elevator and saw them practically crawling up the walls to interview you, I just lost it. For that I apologize." Jeff and the family watched the doctor in amazement. Another question came to mind…this time for Virgil.

"Dr. Andreessen, why exactly would someone from maternity have contacted you? I mean you are the department head over the burn unit aren't you?" Virgil gazed at his feet in confusion.

The doctor chuckled before continuing in his explanation. "Because when the Board of Director's chief management is away for meetings, I am the acting chief. I am the one everyone goes to with problems when the big boss is not around to mediate." Virgil gave a quiet exclamation of "oh", before Dr. Andreessen closed his eyes before he heaved a heavy sigh. The doctor really felt he should explain about what caused his outburst in more detail. Upon opening his eyes, the doctor immediately noticed all eyes were on him. Gordon gazed towards the ceiling of the elevator before opening his mouth.

"Um, from what I can gather, you changed your last name…legally I hope. You are also related to the ex-governor of Massachusetts." Jeff cast a sidelong glare at his second to youngest son Gordon. The boy always did have a poor sense of timing certain statements. The good doctor grinned in mirth. How had he known that statement would be made?

"Yes, it is legal. I purposefully changed my last name to my mother's maiden name when I went into medical school. I didn't want the notoriety of being the ex-governor's son to rack up potential work places for me. If I was going to work in a hospital, I wanted the hospital to want me based on skill level, not fame or social status." The doctor paused in his explanation to allow the information to sink in. "As for what I am sure you overheard that reporter and I arguing over and judging on your facial expressions last night after you communicated with Alan you can probably gather that I can speak sign language. I learned to speak sign, because when my little brother was four he was put in the hospital with a severe ear infection. As a result of some poorly followed instructions he lost his hearing in both ears. I was nine when it happened." The elevator pinged and the doors opened. The group exited the small compartment. Jeff walked along behind the doctor and briefly wondered if his brother losing his hearing was the jumping point to make him go into the medical field. The group stopped when the doctor turned to them. His green eyes told them, just how painful the subject of his brother's deafness was for him. However, a small smile quickly replaced the frown that had been marring his features.

"Sorry to change the subject, but I am going to have to ask that you boys go to the waiting room just around the corner while I take your dad and family friend to go get changed to something suitable for the sterilized environment I have your sons in. I promise after your dad is within the room, I will come to get you so you can communicate with your brother…unless you would rather not." The doctor trailed off when he noticed some of the Tracy sons look around like they were trying to avoid his eyes or their father's.

"It's okay. We'll let dad and Brains talk to the boys first and we'll check in on the boys after they have had their reunion." Scott was the first to speak up, after noticing the anxious look on his father's face. Scott knew his dad was trying to hold it together, but also knew his dad would undoubtedly cry and didn't want his sons to see him breaking down any more than they already had. Jeff opened his mouth to argue, but Scott cut him off.

"No dad. This is going to be your moment to talk to Alan. He needs you right now. I also know that you need to see him, without all of us trying to muscle our way in on his attention. We will be fine sitting in the waiting room for a little bit." Virgil chimed in, cutting off Scott.

"You just go and be with Alan, according to what Dr. McNulty said this morning, Alan was requesting to see you most of all. Scott is right; you need this, to be alone with him. It won't kill us to not see him right now. After all, we will still get to see Alan; it will just be a few minutes longer." Jeff cast an incredulous look at two of his sons that had a tendency to worry the most, when a brother's health was concerned.

"Okay, if you're sure. I won't be long." Scott hugged his dad, which was quickly followed by the other Tracy sons. All the boys seemed to notice that their dad appeared to be getting cold feet and simply needed a nudge. With the hug seeming to offer strength to the Tracy patriarch, the doctor motioned for the two dads to follow him. With a longing glance at his sons over his shoulder, Jeff followed the doctor and his friend. Scott and the boys all stayed where they had originally stood, waiting and watching until their dad went into another room down the hall.

"Do you think he will be alright Scotty?" Gordon spoke just a little bit above a whisper. Scott's brave smile quickly dropped into a frown. Placing a gentle hand around his little brother's shoulder, Scott steered the small group into the private family waiting room.

"I don't know Gords. I sure hope so. This visit should hopefully ease some of dad's fears. I know he said he slept well last night, but I think he is secretly afraid that something bad will happen. I woke up a few times last night to notice dad was slightly restless." Taking a seat within the family waiting room, Scott grabbed the remote to the TV before turning it on for some background noise. Flipping through the channels, Scott settled on a music station. Music had always held a special place within the Tracy family's heart…as their mom had played the piano and Virgil had inherited his love of music from her. A sigh escaped the mouth of the middle Tracy son when he heard what song was playing.

"I recognize this song." The Tracy brothers looked at Virgil as he sat listening to the soft piano music with his eyes closed.

"Where have you heard it before?" Gordon inquired his brother softly, so as to not disturb him.

"It's Alan's lullaby." Virgil opened his eyes to notice his brothers staring at him. Virgil whispered his response, so he could continue hearing the song. "It's really called _The Path_. Mom used to play it for Alan when he was a baby. It would always get him to go to sleep. She taught me to play it too. The composer is Sean Beeson. Mom called it Alan's lullaby." Virgil closed his eyes again and continued listening to the song as long gone memories came up to be seen within his mind's eye.

*_Flashback_*

_A young boy sat up in his bed. He had heard a soft noise come from the room down the hall from his own. Sitting up and listening quietly, he heard the noise repeat. The boy crawled out of his bed, and silently opened his bedroom door. Peering out into the hallway, he directed his line of vision to the slightly opened door down the hall. It was the nursery. Walking on the tips of his toes, the boy crept silently to the nursery door. Pushing lightly on the door, the boy peeked in. There was nobody within the baby's room, so where had that noise come from?_

_ The little boy held his breath when he heard a soft cry come from the bassinet along the far wall. Looking around to see nobody else in the hall with him, the boy quietly crept into the nursery. Peering over the edge of the bassinet, he was greeted with a red faced baby. The newborn was fussing and squirming. His cries were steadily becoming louder, and the boy reached into the bassinet to pick up the baby. Cradling the newborn's head in his arms, the boy walked over to his mother's rocking chair._

_ "Shh Allie. It's your big brother Virgil. Don't cry. Mommy needs her sleep and so does daddy. It's okay Alan." The boy now identified as Virgil cooed to the newborn babe in his arms. The little boy murmured softly to the baby and the baby continued to fuss._

_ "My…what a wonderful big brother you are." Virgil held perfectly still at hearing his mother's soft melodious voice within the room. Tearing his eyes away from the fussing baby, Virgil looked up to see his mom standing in the doorway with her blonde hair hanging in a braid over her shoulder. She smiled at him and came to kneel in front of her two sons._

_ "Mom, he won't stop crying. What's the matter?" Virgil kept gazing down at his fussing baby brother with a worried look on his cherubic face. The woman known as mom or Lucy smiled softly before beckoning to her middle son to place the newborn within her arms._

_ "He's hungry. It's time for his morning bottle. I would appreciate the company if you don't mind Virgil." Virgil nodded his head, his brown hair swaying with the movement._

_ "Okay mom. Let's go." As the woman stood up with the bundle in her arms, Virgil grabbed ahold of her nightgown before following her downstairs. Lucy had Virgil hold Alan while she warmed a bottle for the baby, before going to the sun lounge._

_ Virgil sat in the corner of the loveseat with his legs crisscrossed. He watched his mom pace around with the baby in her arms, the baby refusing to drink from his bottle. Virgil took notice of how tired his mom appeared to be._

_ "Mom, how long will he do this?" Virgil felt bad for his mom. The baby was keeping her from sleeping, when most normal people slept._

_ "How long will he do what dear?" Lucy directed her brown eyed gaze over at her middle son._

_ "Keep you awake." Virgil wanted to know how long it would be until his baby brother stopped waking up during the middle of the night to cry._

_ "Well sweetheart. He is only five days old. It will take a bit of getting used to, but he will eventually get into a pattern for sleeping and eating regularly. He just hasn't had a chance to reach that pattern yet." Lucy swayed from side to side and bounced the tiny bundle in her arms. The crying wouldn't stop, and Lucy took notice of the young boy on the loveseat next to the piano._

_ "Do you mind if I try to feed him? Scotty and Johnny already got to." Virgil held out his arms, beckoning to take the distressed newborn from his exhausted mother's arms._

_ "Okay sweetheart. Just sit right there and don't move." Lucy glided across the room slowly, and perched on the edge of the loveseat next to her middle son. Placing the fussy newborn in his arms, she gently took his hand not supporting Alan's head and handed him the bottle, before directing him on how to hold it to his brother's mouth. There was an instant change in the baby's demeanor._

_ "He's eating." Virgil looked on in amazement as the baby latched on to the bottle, and sucked at it. Soft grunts and gulps could be heard from the baby. Blue eyes looked around before settling on the brown eyed little boy holding the bottle and the blond haired woman leaning in by the brown eyed little boy._

_ "Look Virgie, he likes you." Lucy smiled at her two sons. She had the look of love deep within her eyes. Slowly she turned away before getting up and making her way to the piano._

_ "You really think so mom?" Virgil kept bouncing between looking at his mom and gazing lovingly at the baby in his arms. "How do you know?"_

_ "Because he knows who his big brothers are dear. He trusts you enough to feed him his morning meal." Lucy sat at the piano and lifted the lid covering the ivory keys. She re-directed her gaze at Virgil and Alan. The baby's bottle was already almost empty, and she knew that Virgil would need to burp the baby. She grabbed the burp cloth from off her shoulder and stood back up before making her way over to her sons. Placing the cloth on Virgil's small shoulders she quickly turned back to the piano._

_ "Do you want me to play your lullaby for your baby brother, or do you want him to have a different song?" Lucy asked all her sons that same question when they found out she was pregnant with Alan. None of the boys had given her an answer yet. All the boys had a unique song she played for them, never playing a singular lullaby._

_ "I think he should have his own song. Just like Scotty, Johnny, Gordy and I do." Lucy smiled lovingly at her middle son. She knew he was right. All her sons had their own lullaby that she would play for them._

_ "Okay, I think I have just the song for him too." Lucy spoke softly to her son. Virgil sat in silence, but gazed down at his baby brother when he began fussing again. The bottle was empty and Virgil looked at his mom for direction, having never burped a baby before. "Place him on your shoulder, with his head over the cloth. Good like that. Now pat him gently on the back." Lucy instructed her son on how to burp his baby brother, and Virgil listened closely for any noises to indicate that his baby brother had burped yet._

_ Slowly Lucy began to play, and a soft melody began to sound. Virgil continued to pat his baby brother on the back and smiled when he heard the baby give a healthy burp. Smiling at his mom, she told him to ease the baby off his shoulder and use the burp cloth to wipe gently at his mouth in case he spit up any…which thankfully he did not. The soft melody continued to play and Virgil watched as his baby brother's eyes drifted closed. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the baby's downy soft blonde hair._

_ "He's asleep mom." Virgil whispered, afraid that to speak normally would awaken his baby brother._

_ "Thank you sweetheart for helping me feed him and putting him back to bed." Lucy whispered back, all while continuing to play the soft music._

_ "What's this song called mom?" Virgil liked to know the names of some of the songs his mom played. Before the birth of his baby brother, she had sat at the piano playing around with different melodies, as if trying to find a song suitable for a lullaby. Virgil would often sit and watch her play, and had slowly begun to pick up on how to play the piano himself._

_ "It's called The Path. The guy who wrote the song is named Sean Beeson. He is an excellent composer." Lucy smiled at her two sons…one sleeping soundly and the other watching her play the piano with his undivided attention._

_ "Is this going to be Allie's song?" Lucy smiled at Virgil's question. The boys had always called the lullabies she played for each boy by the boy's name, rather than the name the composer had called it._

_ "Yes, sweetheart. This is going to be Alan's lullaby. Sometime after Alan gets used to a regular feeding and sleeping schedule I will sit down with you to show you how to play it if you would like." Virgil grinned widely and nodded, careful to keep his excited movements from jostling the sleeping newborn in his arms._

_ "Yeah, then if there is ever a time when you are unable to play, I can play it for him." Virgil smiled, and Lucy giggled softly. As the song came to an end, she directed her gaze at the still sleeping newborn in her son's arms._

_ "Well, I think it's about time we all went to bed. Alan is sound asleep, and it is way past your bedtime. Come on sweetheart." Lucy gently lifted baby Alan from Virgil's arms and slowly made her way up stairs, Virgil hot on her heels._

_ As they entered the nursery, Virgil matched Lucy step for step. Stopping in front of the bassinet, Lucy raised the sleeping newborn in her arms before kissing him lovingly on the top of his head, his blonde hair in feathery curls. She crouched down slightly to allow Virgil to kiss his baby brother, and then she slowly laid the baby down. After getting him comfortable, Lucy wound up the mobile above his bassinet, before releasing it to play the melody of rock a bye baby._

_*End Flashback*_

Virgil sat in silence until another song came on over the speakers. When he opened his eyes, they shone with love and adoration. He had a feeling that his mom was keeping Alan safe and would give him the strength to heal from these disturbing turn of events. Casting his gaze about the room, he noticed his older brother John watching him intently.

"What were you just thinking about Virge?" John spoke at a normal tone of voice. The previous song had ended and the channel was currently previewing ads.

"I was thinking about mom and Alan. Just after Alan was born and brought home from the hospital." Virgil smiled softly as he thought back on the memory. That night was the first night that he got to hold his baby brother without having to share with his brothers.

"Care to enlighten us on what took place? It must have been a nice memory to put that serene smile on your face." Scott whispered as another song came on the station.

"Yeah, it was a very nice memory." Virgil spoke softly and he delighted in the explanation in what took place that night so many years ago.


	10. Of Tears and Fears

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General POV

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Following Dr. Andreessen into a large room, Jeff and Brains looked around. The room was stocked with different types of equipment, and boxes. Dr. Andreessen directed the two men towards the sink and directed them on how to wash their hands to a hospital standard. Jeff pushed up the sleeves of his Tracy Enterprises polo shirt, before stepping up to the sink. After both dads had washed their hands, Dr. Andreessen helped them put on surgical gloves and gave them scrubs to put on over their clothing.

"I apologize for this. But because of hospital policy, I must make absolutely sure that you two are both properly sterile before entering their hospital room. It would not do for your sons to contract an infection." Brains and Jeff nodded at the doctor before they looked at each other chuckling. The scrubs may have been one size fits all, but they certainly didn't fit either man. For Jeff they were correct in leg length, but he wound up tucking the top in to the waist band of his scrub pants, because the top was really long. As for Brains the pants were really long and so was the top.

"Also here are some shoe covers. I will put them on you two…since you are already wearing your gloves. Please have a seat." Jeff grinned slightly at being treated like a small child. The last time he had needed anybody to help him do anything with his shoes; it had been his dad helping him learn to tie his shoestrings when he was five. But the doctor was following hospital protocol. He had to assist the two men in properly dressing in the scrubs. When Jeff and Brains stood up, Jeff gazed over at the clock. They had been preparing for the last 15 minutes.

"Okay. I do believe you are ready. Now I will give you two masks to wear, but I must ask you to refrain from removing them." Jeff and Brains nodded, before following the doctor out of the supply room. Looking around, Jeff noticed his older sons were nowhere to be seen. Following the doctor, Jeff and Brains walked past the family waiting room, and Jeff noticed his sons talking animatedly through the window. It however appeared that his sons didn't recognize him with the scrubs and mask on, because they didn't bat an eye at him.

"Do y-you think they s-s-recognized us Jeff?" Brains spoke quietly. His stuttering had calmed down, and Jeff figured it was nerves allowing him to speak slower. Jeff chuckled before pausing behind the doctor. Dr. Andreessen stood in front of a door, and was inputting a code to unlock the door. A soft beep was heard before the doctor entered the room. He motioned to Jeff and Brains to enter, and he closed the door behind them.

"Jeff, Alan is over there" Dr. Andreessen pointed in the general direction of a cordoned off bed. The curtain had been drawn, and Jeff glanced over his shoulder at the doctor. The doctor must have sensed Jeff's question and he spoke up before Jeff could voice it. "I drew the curtain surrounding your son and Fermat, primarily to offer the boys privacy when they could see you two."

Jeff nodded, and gulped before following the doctor over to Alan's section of the room. Brains had already slipped behind Fermat's curtain and Jeff was nervous about seeing Alan. Would Alan still be mad over the argument he and Jeff had the night of the fire? Sucking in a breath, Jeff slipped in behind the curtain surrounding his son's bed.

"I am going to leave the room, please ring the nurse's station button on the controller when you are ready to leave. I will go let Hiram know also." Jeff nodded at the doctor. Turning slowly he got an up close look at his baby boy. Alan was lying in bed, with his eyes closed. He appeared to be sleeping, but Jeff didn't care. He pulled up the chair that had been left for him by the doctor and sat down. The chair creaked slightly, and Alan opened his blue eyes.

"Hi dad." Alan croaked out a whisper, his throat still sore from the smoke inhalation. Jeff thought that to hear his baby boy speak no matter how rough his voice was, was a beautiful thing. Tears rapidly gathered in his eyes, and Jeff struggled to keep them from overflowing.

"Alan…hey baby." Jeff stood slightly and leaned forward placing a gentle kiss on his son's forehead. As he pulled away Alan lifted his unbroken arm and hooked his dad around the neck, pulling him down for a hug. It was this action that caused the floodgates to open, and before Jeff or Alan knew it both were crying in each other's arms.

"Daddy…I was so scared." Alan whispered quietly so as to not strain his already sore throat. Jeff reached up and gently wiped the tears from Alan's face with his gloved thumb. For a 14 year old boy who normally called his dad "father" to suddenly change the name to daddy, he must have been more than scared.

"I know you were baby. But you are safe now. You are here and you are alive. That is all that matters." Jeff gently placed a finger under his son's chin and lifted his face so that their eyes met. Being careful, Jeff leaned forward and gave his son the hug he had wanted to give since the argument.

Gently pressing Alan's head into his shoulder, Jeff allowed himself to heave a sigh. To be able to hold his baby boy in his arms was something he didn't want to take for granted. Alan was his baby, and was the last thing that had been a connection to his beloved Lucy. When the fire happened, and Alan and Fermat were unable to be located, Jeff thought his heart had simply stopped. Unintentionally, Jeff tightened his hold over Alan's back and immediately released his hold when the boy drew in a sharp breath.

"Ow dad, be careful please. My back is sore from the dressing change." Jeff pulled away from Alan apologizing for causing his son any pain. "It's okay dad. Just don't pat me between my shoulder blades. I have a particularly bad burn there" Jeff nodded, before sitting in comfortable silence with his son in his arms. The quiet father observed his youngest son, and took notice of the lack of clothing on the youth.

"Allie, where is your hospital gown?" Jeff took notice of the blush covering his youngest son's face. Alan cleared his throat gently before speaking. His voice didn't croak, but it certainly didn't feel good speaking.

"It's around my waist. Dr. Andreessen said that with the burns, it would be unbearable to wear any clothing right now and suggested that I drape it over my legs so that I would be decent in case I got any visitors. Are you mad?" Jeff shook his head, before running a gloved finger along his son's warm cheek.

"No Alan. I couldn't be mad. The doctor is just trying to make things comfortable for you." Alan gazed at his dad and even though he wore a mask, the boy could see his dad was smiling. This in turn made Alan manage a smile.

"I love you dad. And…I'm sorry." Alan began to worry his lip and tore his eyes away from his dad's before staring enraptured at his blanketed lap. Jeff's eyes widened at his son's apology.

"What are you apologizing for?" Jeff hooked his finger under Alan's chin again and lifted his head to see tears welling up in his son's sapphire blue eyes.

"For disconnecting the call during your lecture." The tears overflowed from Alan's eyes and Jeff found that to wipe them away only made Alan cry harder. Cupping Alan's cheek, Jeff leaned forward and placed his forehead against his son's. Jeff gently scratched the back of Alan's head, the action offering comfort to the distraught boy.

"Don't apologize for that Allie. You had every right to do it. Granted I wasn't happy about being cut off, but if it prevented the argument from getting worse then it is okay. But Allie, I am sorry too. I should a listened to your side of the story first rather than side with your headmaster right off the bat." Alan nodded and moved his head to rest on his dad's strong shoulder. Jeff resumed the gentle scratching of Alan's head, but slowed his motions when Alan yawned. "Do you mind…telling me in your own words what the note consisted of? I just want to know what the gist of the argument was and who you were arguing with." Alan pulled away from his dad, and looked him straight in the eyes.

Alan had given the appearance that he was going to fib and say something along the lines of 'I don't want to talk about it'. Jeff however had different plans. He knew how to get the information out of his youngest son…the only problem was that Alan might be a bit annoyed. Jeff took his chances…he raised an eyebrow before gazing long and hard at Alan and before long Alan sighed and had decided to inform his dad on the matter of the headmaster's phone call.

"The guy I was arguing with is named Robert Flynn. He was mad, because a group I was with won first place while he took third in a dumb competition that we were forced to take part in." Jeff raised an eyebrow again at his young son's statement. Alan blushed before going on with his explanation. "He wrote a note and passed it to me in class, saying that I had paid the judges to let my group win. I told him he didn't know what he was talking about, and then he started issuing threats at me."

"What kind of threats son?" Jeff felt his heart rate climb slightly. What types of threats had been issued towards his son?

"At first they were just 'watch your back' threats, but when I wrote back that I was not going to take being threatened…he started threatening to beat me up when I was alone. We had been going at it for several days and then the threats escalated to death threats. It was around that time that I basically told him to go to Hell, and a teacher intercepted the note." Alan trailed off. He refused to look his dad in the eye, and Jeff wanted nothing more than to hold his son tightly. The thought that the fire had maybe been intentional crossed his mind.

"What did the headmaster and this Robert Flynn do?" Jeff could feel irritation building…had the headmaster passed off the death threats issued to his son?

"The headmaster read the note that the teacher intercepted from me and Robert, then gave the both of us detention. He informed us that our parents would be hearing about the incident and ordered us to our dorms. I left first, and Robert soon followed." Alan refused to look his dad in the eyes. Jeff's breath caught in his throat. Alan bit his lip before going on. "I made a quick stop to the restroom down the hall from the headmaster's office, and Robert followed me in and told me himself that if I didn't want to die that I would give him what was rightfully his. I ordered him to leave me alone and when I turned my back to use the facilities he grabbed me by the shoulders before dragging me into one of the stalls. He hit me a couple times in the stomach and I fought back. After he kneed me in the stomach, he shoved my head into the toilet."

"Why didn't you go straight to the headmaster after you got beat up?" Jeff was confused…but more than anything he was angry. The headmaster had not said anything about Alan being beaten up.

"I did. He refused to listen. All he saw was a student whose head was dripping wet and no visible bruises. Robert had been smart when he attacked me. He made sure not to hit me with his fists…he used his knees and his feet mostly. He hit me in places that would not be obviously bruised like my back, stomach and chest. Fermat found me shortly after the fight and walked back to the dorms with me. I told him what happened, and he insisted that I tell you. But…I had a feeling you wouldn't hear me out." Jeff felt like crying. He hadn't heard his son when he tried to tell him. Fermat hadn't been in the room at the time, per Alan's request of privacy in discussing things with his dad.

"I'm sorry son. I should have listened to you. I had wondered why you were dripping wet when you answered my call…but I figured you had just got out of the shower." Now that Jeff thought about his statement and the call…Alan had still been in uniform when he answered Jeff's call. Jeff closed his eyes and groaned…Alan had in fact been beaten up and he had failed as a father to make sure his son was okay then.

"It's okay dad. I wasn't exactly forthcoming in admitting that I had been beaten up either." Alan gazed up slightly to gauge his dad's emotions. Cobalt blue eyes met sapphire blue eyes and an understanding seemed to be reached.

"Did anything else happen after our argument?" Jeff inhaled slightly…he wanted his son to know that now he was all ears. He would listen to what his son had to say.

"Yeah, Robert confronted me after dinner outside the dorms. He asked if I was ready to admit blame and tell the judges that my group cheated, but he quickly became angry when I refused. Needless to say I didn't get to keep my dinner for very long." At Jeff's raised eyebrow, Alan sighed. "He kneed me in the gut again after wrestling me to the ground and caused me to throw up my dinner; and while I was on my knees leaning into the bushes, he issued another death threat. I retired to bed shortly after I threw up, hoping the pain would stop. When I woke up, the room was on fire and Fermat was dragging me to the bathroom and shoving me into the shower." Alan's eyes misted at the memory of the fire. As tears slowly made their way down Alan's cheeks, Jeff was quick to wipe them away and comfort his son.

"It's okay…don't cry. I'm here. You are safe now. Nobody can hurt you again." Jeff gently pulled his son into his arms and rocked him slightly. Alan cried in relief that he was alive, to be able to apologize to his dad for the argument, to tell him he loved him and to tell him about the threats. Alan lifted his unbroken arm and gingerly wrapped it around his dad's back. He buried his face into his dad's chest and tried to combat sleep. Jeff gently ran his fingers through Alan's hair, trying to relax his son enough so that he might sleep.

As Jeff sat and comforted his son again, he also took comfort that his son had forgiven him for his jumping to conclusions. Jeff heard a door open, and the curtain pulled back slightly to reveal Dr. Andreessen carrying a bag of clear fluids and a syringe. The doctor smiled at seeing the half asleep teenager in his dad's arms.

"I'm sorry. It is time for Alan's pain medication and a new bag of antibiotics for his IV. Don't mind me; I will be out of your hair shortly." When Jeff nodded at the doctor, acknowledging that he heard him the doctor went about exchanging the empty bag of fluids for a fresh bag, and injected a shot into a port for Alan's IV. As soon as he was finished Jeff nodded at him again, before returning his attention to his youngest son.

"Tired Allie?" Jeff gently scratched the back of Alan's head and grinned when the boy shivered slightly. Alan had always shivered when a sensitive spot at the base of his skull was scratched…Gordon had joked that if Alan was a dog that would be the spot to make him scratch at the air. Jeff frowned slightly when Alan shook his head.

"Please don't leave me dad. I don't want the nightmares to come back." Gazing up at his dad, Jeff was able to see that Alan's blue eyes shone with a fear that Jeff had not seen since the family lived in Kansas. The last time he had seen that kind of fear, he had found Virgil and Gordon hiding with Alan in the broom closet after a tornado touched down. Jeff reflected on that day and what happened.

*Flashback*

_Scott and John were staying the night at a friend's house and Jeff was at work when the younger three got home from school. A strong tornado touched down before the tornado siren went off. From what Virgil and Gordon said they were in the kitchen doing homework, and Alan was napping in the living room. When the power had gone out, Virgil noticed how close the funnel cloud was and grabbed his two younger brothers before slipping into the broom closet._

_ Jeff had been terrified when the siren had gone off then. Virgil had called only an hour before to say he and his younger brothers were home. As soon as the all clear had been given, Jeff rushed home to find the roof metal had been peeled open like a can of sardines. Checking the storm cellar first, Jeff had cried when he couldn't find his boys. He had rushed into the house and found a bunch of debris from the ceiling on the floor. Gazing upwards he could see the slightly cloudy sky. Searching frantically, he thought his heart would stop beating when he heard three sobs come from the broom closet. Prying the door open he found his three youngest sons huddled together crying. He had never been so happy to see them with nary a scratch, but it broke Jeff's heart to see the fear in his son's eyes especially in the then five year old Alan. The boy looked so much like his mother except for the eyes._

*End Flashback*

To see the mounting fear in his eyes is what made Jeff decide to go about purchasing the island…no matter how long it took. But to see the same level of fear in Alan's eyes now was unsettling. Jeff continued the gentle scratching of the back of Alan's head, and convinced the boy to lie back in his bed.

"Why don't you lie down for a bit baby? You might feel better after a nap, and I will be here to wake you should a nightmare happen." Alan gazed into his father's blue eyes much like his own and nodded, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. Jeff sat by and kept a watch over his youngest son, and after an hour Alan began to stir.

"Hey son, how'd you sleep?" Jeff murmured to his barely awake son, and bleary blue eyes opened before closing quickly. Blinking several times to allow his eyes to adjust to the mild lighting, Alan released a soft yawn before answering his father's question.

"Better than I did last night, I can say that much is certain." Alan and Jeff sat in companionable silence for a few moments. The two couldn't help but to chuckle when Alan's stomach growled quietly.

"Well, it's nice to hear you are hungry." Jeff ran his fingers through Alan's blonde hair before settling on scratching at the base of Alan's skull again. When the boy shivered much like how he had earlier, Jeff couldn't help but to smile. He had missed spending time like this with his youngest son. Granted, he shouldn't be spending time with his son at a hospital…it should be back at home. Most of the time, they were either arguing, or he and his older sons were on a rescue while Alan remained on the island or Alan was in school in a different time zone.

"Dad?" Jeff slowed his ministrations at the base of Alan's head in favor of glancing at the young teenager. Alan was slightly reclined in his bed, craning his neck so he could look at his dad without dislodging the comforting strokes to the base of his skull. His blue eyes were relaxed but concern was evident in his sapphire blue orbs.

"Yes son? Are you feeling okay?" Jeff moved his hand from the back of Alan's head to gently stroke Alan's cheek. The boy's face felt warm, but Jeff didn't know if it was a fever or if it was heat that had been retained from racing through the school fire. Jeff hoped it was just nothing, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him he should bring it up to Alan's doctor.

"How are you and the guys holding up?" Jeff's eyes widened. It was not like Alan to make his concerns known. Sure the boy had a caring heart, but the boy on occasions viewed the love he had for his family as a weakness. Jeff grinned lightly before leaning forward to speak with his son.

"We're doing okay son. Your brothers and I have been so worried." Alan gazed at his dad as he spoke. Biting his lip, Alan focused again on his dad. The man's gentle blue eyes glowed with love and relief, but Alan could clearly see the worry and fear that screamed out to him.

"How bad?" Alan managed to croak his question out, his throat felt parched, but he didn't have anything to drink. Alan watched his dad's eyebrows knit together in confusion at his question. Hoping he wouldn't have to repeat himself, Alan gazed into his father's eyes trying to convey the words he felt unable to speak to him.

Jeff sighed. He understood what his son was trying to ask him, but he was afraid to say it out loud. It would make it real, too real in fact. The truth was that Alan had been on life support for the first 24 hours of his stay in the hospital, primarily because his airway was so raw from being burned. Then there was the fact that to assist Alan with breathing, the doctor had kept him on a ventilator for an additional 7 hours or until he got out of surgery. Alan had to have his broken arm repaired and required 8 pins and 1 plate. Jeff didn't know how to say that for three days, he had been convinced that his baby boy was lost to him. The family had not been told anything on Alan's condition for those three days. Only after Alan had been transferred to this private room in the burn unit had they been told anything. Jeff shook off the feelings that were consuming his thoughts. Breathing deeply through his nose to try to stop the tears, Jeff began to speak.

"It was really bad Allie. I…I was afraid; afraid…that I had lost you. For three days…I hadn't heard whether…whether you were alive…or dead." Jeff whispered the last two words. His voice cracked, and Jeff concentrated on not crying again. He had to be strong for his youngest son. Sniffling, Jeff gazed at his youngest just to see that Alan was in the same boat as himself. Alan leaned up slightly and wrapped his unbroken arm around Jeff's neck again, pulling him to sit on the bed rather than stand beside it.

"I'm sorry daddy. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for causing you so much worry!" Alan's voice cracked as he whispered brokenly into his father's shoulder. Jeff could feel the quivering in his son's shoulders. It became obvious that the boy was crying and in order to hide his tears…had embraced his father. Jeff returned the embrace, pausing to check if he was near any of Alan's burns before patting the boy gently on the back.

"It's okay son. Please don't cry. You're safe now. You are in my arms, and I won't let go." Jeff murmured to his son, willing himself not to break down and cry in his son's arms for a second time in one day.

"But…what if…" Jeff silenced his son's words with a finger to his mouth. He didn't want to hear the words 'what if I hadn't been saved' that echoed in his head spoken by his son.

"But nothing…you are safe now. You are alive and you will make a full recovery." Jeff pulled back from his gentle but firm hug with his son and ran his thumb under Alan's eyes, chasing away his tears. Alan's sad face slowly became a soft smiling one, and Jeff smiled too even though he knew Alan couldn't see from behind his mask. Jeff changed the subject in order to alleviate his youngest son's tears and fears. "So, are you ready to see your brothers? I know they probably want to make sure you are okay. It's been a little over an hour since I saw them last and they are probably busting at the seams." The change of topic seemed to brighten Alan's mood.

"Yeah, I wish I could talk to them though. I want to hear their voices again. But mostly I want to have them close by." Jeff ruffled Alan's hair gently, before reaching around Alan and pressing the button to page Dr. Andreessen at the nurse's station.

"Well, just give it time son. The doctor only allowed me and Brains to visit if we came in cognito…or didn't you notice the funny wardrobe your old man is sporting?" Jeff motioned down at his recently acquired wardrobe and Alan bubbled with laughter at the sight.

"What are you wearing?" Jeff smiled at Alan's incredulous tone of voice. It lifted Jeff's spirits to hear his son laugh again. Three days…it had been far too long to have not heard anything from his son. Jeff took pleasure in his situation. It was okay if he was the brunt of the humor…anything to see and hear his son laugh or smile again.

"I am wearing scrubs. The hospital had a policy that I had to wear this attire if I was to visit you. Trust me; it is well worth it looking like a clown." Jeff smiled when his youngest son continued to laugh. It had appeared that Alan had been so distraught earlier that he had failed to notice his dad's wardrobe.

"That's a good look for you dad. I think you should wear it more often." Alan managed to get his laughter under control briefly…but his laughter reignited when Dr. Andreessen came walking in.

"Okay Jeff…I will pretend I didn't just hear that insult to doctors everywhere. Something about scrubs making us look like clowns?" Jeff shrugged his shoulders while crossing his eyes at his son Alan. The action made by Jeff coupled with Dr. Andreessen's words succeeded in making Alan lose his composure and laugh again. While Alan was otherwise distracted, Jeff turned to the doctor to speak with him.

"Alan would like to see his brothers, if that is okay." Jeff worried his lip. He didn't want to make his youngest son uncomfortable if he left, but he didn't want to hog all the time with his son when his brothers were probably just dying to see Alan was okay…for the most part.

"Sure…I can go get them. But they will have to remain in the hall." Jeff nodded his head at the doctor's words. He knew he was probably pushing it, but he hoped the doctor would hear his request and grant it.

"Would it be permissible if I allowed Alan to talk to his brother's on my cell phone? I would keep it in my pocket but have it on speaker phone, so Alan wouldn't come into contact with it." The doctor closed his eyes as if in deep thought. Jeff hoped that the doctor granted the request. It might offer Alan some comfort if he could actually talk to his brothers.

"Technically I am not supposed to allow it, but Alan is on antibiotics to ward off any secondary infections. I don't suppose there would be any harm. But he is not permitted to touch the phone. As long as you keep it on you, I will allow it." Jeff's face broke into a wide smile. The doctor could see how happy he had just made the father even beyond the mask.

"I will." Jeff gazed over at Alan. The boy was still trying to get his laughter under control. Jeff was wondering why Alan seemed to have uncontrollable laughter…then he remembered that the doctor had come in an hour prior to give Alan some pain medicine.

"Well then. I will go get your sons, but do you want me to tell them of the phone call or do you wish to surprise them? After all it is the Christmas holiday soon." The doctor stepped away from the boy and his dad.

"I think you should leave it a surprise. But please, could you knock on the door when they are outside. Also…what did you give Alan? He has never laughed this much before." Jeff raised an eyebrow when Alan lost his composure again and began laughing yet again.

"I gave him some Oxycodone. Laughter is not usually a prevalent side effect, but it has been known to happen on some occasions." The doctor and Jeff both watched as Alan struggled to get his laughter under control again, before managing to succeed.

The doctor shook his head in amusement at Alan. Before he left Dr. Andreessen couldn't resist asking Alan a not so serious question…in truth it was a dumb joke Dr. McNulty had told him and Dr. Andreessen wanted to see if Alan laughed at it or keep his composure. If he laughed then it just proved that Alan was drunk on the pain meds…however if he didn't laugh then it just proved that Alan just felt like laughing earlier.

"Okay Alan. I have a question I want to ask you. Care to answer it for me?" Dr. Andreessen hated this joke. Dr. McNulty had told it to him and some of their coworkers, and he thought it was hilarious…Dr. Andreessen though just cringed at the thought. He had always claimed that he had been born without a sense of humor.

"Okay Doc. Shoot." Alan had a serious look on his face, and smiled earnestly at his physician.

"Can you tell me why you shouldn't try to write with a broken pencil?" Dr. Andreessen asked the question with a total straight face to gauge Alan's reaction. Alan lie in bed and just shot the doctor a perplexed look.

"I don't know…Why shouldn't you try writing with a broken pencil?" Alan asked the question back to the doctor. Confusion was clearly written all over his face. Jeff raised an eyebrow at the interaction. '_What is the doctor doing?'_

_"_Because it is pointless." The reaction that the doctor received from Alan was one like he thought would happen. At first it had appeared that Alan wouldn't laugh, and then he cracked a smile. Slowly laughter bubbled up from Alan's chest and before either Jeff or Dr. Andreessen knew it, Alan was again struggling to breath with uncontrollable laughter. Thankfully the oxygen mask he wore, supplied him with air to breath. Jeff turned to look at the doctor, but his eyes widened when he noticed the door to Alan's hospital room shutting.

"Oh you are so lucky Alan is otherwise distracted." Jeff mumbled under his breath, a smile on his face at seeing his youngest son change from strong laughter to giggles. Jeff shook his head as he soon began laughing as well. Alan's laughter could be infectious at times, and right now Jeff owed it to his son and himself to relax and laugh.


	11. Under the Influence

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General POV

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Dr. Andreessen strolled down the hall towards the private family waiting room. The bad joke the kind doctor told his patient just now confirmed for him that Alan was indeed drunk on his pain medications. Jeff hadn't even laughed, which proved to the doctor that not only was the joke not funny, but that right now Alan was bound to find anything funny. Walking around the corner, Dr. Andreessen had to stifle a yell. He had just collided with a warm body, and both individuals fell to the floor.

"Oh my god, Dr. Andreessen; are you okay?" A strong hand clamped on to Dr. Andreessen's shoulder, and the doctor paused in rubbing the back of his head which had connected with the floor to look up at the person talking to him. A young man with platinum blonde hair and worried blue eyes hovered above him. The doctor thought back and remembered that Alan's older brother John had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"John, I'm sorry. I was just coming to get you and your brothers and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The doctor accepted the pro-offered hand and allowed John to pull him back up to his feet.

"No it's my bad. I was actually heading to the vending machine, and got lost in my thoughts." When neither the doctor nor Tracy brother would back down in who was or wasn't at fault for the fall, the two men just laughed and agreed to disagree.

"So, you mentioned you were coming to get us. Is everything okay with my baby brother?" John chewed on his lip. It was an anxious habit that he and Alan both managed to develop. Surprisingly none of the other Tracy brothers or their dad had developed the trait. It was an inside joke that the blondes of the family were just naturally anxious individuals.

"No, nothing is wrong with Alan. He and your dad are still visiting. Alan however asked if you guys could come see him, but your dad is currently confined to the bed same as your brother." The doctor grinned in mirth at John's widening eyes. The doctor opened the door to the hospital waiting room and three pairs of eyes gazed up to meet the kind doctor's smiling face.

"Why is dad confined to the bed?" John asked. He chewed on his lip again. The thought that maybe something happened to his dad crossed his mind. At his question, Scott was on his feet, worry evident on his face.

"Is dad okay?" Scott crossed the room to stand in front of the doctor. Virgil and Gordon stood beside their older brother.

"He is fine. Alan just refuses to let your dad go." Dr. Andreessen smiled when the worried looks on the Tracy brother's faces eased into relaxed features.

"What is the sprout becoming clingy or something?" Gordon tilted his head to the side, mischief shining in his eyes.

"I guess you could say that. If anything, I think your dad is the clingier one. Alan is just finding humor in everything and enjoying your father's hugs." The doctor grinned when a smile became apparent on the Tracy brother's faces.

"Dad always was one of the more huggable guys I have ever known. With him coming from a military then a NASA background, one would think that he wasn't capable of showing affection." Scott crossed his arms across his chest grinning in good humor.

"Well, after I take you to your brother's room, you will see what I mean by 'confined'. If anything, I think your dad is the one confining your brother to the bed. So what do you say, ready to go see your brother?" The doctor stepped up to the door and turned to look at the remaining Tracy boys.

The doctor smiled when he took notice of a smile brightening up the faces of each Tracy brother. It always was a nice thing being a doctor when he could see these types of reactions on a patient's family member's face. Probably the least favorite part of his job…or any physician for that matter was the delivery of bad news. Nobody could really enjoy having to tell someone when a loved one was badly injured, fighting for their life or had lost their battle to live. The doctor shook his head to get rid of morose thoughts. Turning to gaze over his shoulder, he figured he had better inform the family on Alan and his current situation.

"Okay, before we get to the room I must warn you that Alan is a little…giggly." The doctor took note of the faces of the four young men following him.

"What do you mean?" Scott and Gordon spoke up at the same time, and Dr. Andreessen noticed Virgil roll his eyes. The kind doctor felt Virgil figured out what he had meant by Alan being giggly.

"He's drunk isn't he?" Virgil tilted his head and grinned. He knew what the doctor was getting at, and felt slightly amused. The group stopped in the hall so the doctor could talk to them properly.

"Yes, it would appear so." Dr. Andreessen took notice of the quizzical looks on Scott, John and Gordon's faces. He decided to explain how Alan got to such a state. "He is currently feeling the effects of his pain medication. It is quite unusual for a patient receiving Oxycodone to experience these side effects but it has been known to happen on rare occasions."

"I figured as much…it is sadly not the first time Alan has been drunk off of pain medication." Virgil kept a straight face while he spoke but couldn't help grinning as he thought back to when Alan was twelve. The doctor looked directly at Virgil in surprise.

"Is there something I haven't been told here?" The doctor looked puzzled, but crossed his arms over his chest in disapproval at maybe not knowing the full story.

"He experienced being drunk once about two years ago when our resident medic gave him some strong pain medication. He had been suffering a pretty bad migraine at the time, and had it for a day and a half before we found out. Trust me I am sure we can handle seeing him like this." Virgil quirked his eyebrows at the memory, at the time he had felt bad for his brother who unfortunately was the only Tracy boy who suffered from migraines.

"Care to explain so that I know what to look out for during Alan's treatments?" The doctor knew Alan would undoubtedly be in the hospital burn unit for at least two months. It all however depended on how quick Alan bounced back from his surgeries. John stepped up and began to speak of the incident. The memory had played through the Tracy brother's minds during the explanation.

_*JOHN'S FLASHBACK*_

_ Scott and John sat beside the pool watching Gordon and Virgil have a swim race. The two older Tracy boys had decided to judge the race and wanted a good view from the deck chairs. Alan had just gotten back from his first year in boarding school four days prior and had made himself scarce._

_ "Have you seen the sprout anywhere?" John peeked over the tops of his sunglasses at his older brother. He could see the confusion written all over the 'smother hen's face at the mention of Alan._

_ "No. He told me he was tired when we landed, and was going to go sleep. But as you well know that was yesterday and I certainly have not seen hide nor hair of him since. When Kyrano went to fetch him for dinner last night then breakfast this morning he refused to fully open the door. From what Kyrano told me, Alan spoke softly through the door and said he would eat later. I don't know about you but I am worried John. It is unlike the sprout to not want to eat with us." John could see how worried Scott was._

_ John opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by a loud crash followed by breaking glass within the house…from Alan's bedroom as a matter of fact. Both brothers raced to the interior of the house failing to notice how Virgil and Gordon paused in their race. Upon reaching the door, Scott felt dismayed that the door was locked tight. Knocking on the door, he didn't receive a response._

_ "Alan? Hey sprout you okay in there?" Scott knocked on the door again before placing his ear to the door, listening for any indication that Alan had heard him. Not hearing any noise, Scott got on his knees, pulling out his pocket knife which happened to be equipped with a Phillips head screw driver._

_ "What are you doing Scott?" John tried knocking also and he too received no response from their youngest brother._

_ "What does it look like I am doing? I am opening Alan's door." Scott used the Phillips head screw driver to undo the screws holding the door knob to the frame. "Hold out your hand John." Following his older brother's order John held out his hand and Scott placed the screws in his palm._

_ "What is going on Master Scott?" Kyrano spoke up behind the two eldest Tracy boys. He had heard the breaking glass and was coming to clean it up. He figured it had come from the sun lounge, which was around the corner from Scott, Gordon and Alan's bedrooms._

_ "I am trying to get into Alan's room. He won't open his door and it is locked tight. I know that noise came from his room." Scott concentrated on unscrewing the last screw, before placing it in his younger brother's hand. Taking the door knob off, Scott used the tip of his pocket knife to slide the bolt within the door handle…unlocking the door._

_ Upon opening the door, Scott took notice of how dark Alan's bedroom was. The boy's fan was shut off, as was his computer and all lights. Even Alan's alarm clock was shut off. Stepping into the room, Scott flipped the light switch and fought the yell of alarm creeping up his throat. There in the middle of his bedroom floor lying on his side was Alan. A shattered drinking cup lay beside his outstretched hand. Alan didn't react to the entrance of his two older brothers or Kyrano._

_ Quickly kneeling beside Alan, John took notice of the pallor of Alan's face. The boy was panting heavily, and he was sweating something fierce. Tears were coursing down his face, and John heard Alan whimpering while he clutched at his head._

_ "What's wrong Al?" John whispered to the small boy._

_ "Q…Qu..iet." Alan managed a broken whimper, and John held his finger up to his lips when he noticed Scott getting ready to speak._

_ "Can you tell me what's wrong Al?" John lowered his voice to a whisper so quiet that even he could barely hear it._

_ "H…he...ad…hu…rts." Alan whimpered out his answer. John nodded before covering Alan's ears gently. Looking up at his older brother, John opened his mouth to speak._

_ "Go get Brains…have him meet me in the infirmary." John looked Scott straight in the eye as he ordered his older brother to follow his command._

_ "Why? What is wrong with Alan?" Scott sat on his knees beside John and took notice of the pallor on Alan's face. The boy was panting and the boy hiccupped from crying._

_ "I think…he inherited mom's migraines." Scott understood what John was getting at, and nodded before jumping up to run and find Brains._

_ John uncovered Alan's ears and slid one arm under Alan's knees and the other under his head before standing up and racing out of the room at a quick jog. With the movement, John noticed Alan's whimpering increase to a low moan. Glancing down at his brother, he noticed the boy was looking green in the face._

_ Upon entering the infirmary, John quickly laid his brother on the bed before fetching a trash receptacle. John's timing was perfect, because upon returning to the bed Alan shot up covering his mouth. John held the trash receptacle up to Alan and gently pulled the boy's hand from his mouth. Alan brought up what little was in his stomach, and John sat beside the ill child rubbing his back as the boy heaved. Soon the door to the infirmary opened and Brains and Jeff came racing in with Scott and a dripping wet Virgil and Gordon on their tails._

_ "What's wrong with him?" Gordon spoke too loudly for the boy upon noticing the child leaning into the trash receptacle because Alan whimpered again from the loud voice. John felt it was safe to pull the trash receptacle away from his brother who had stopped heaving moments before. Placing it on the floor below the infirmary bed, John motioned to his remaining family to keep quiet._

_ Brains stepped forward and sat on the bed beside John and Alan. Brains whispered his questions to Alan so as to not bother the boy, but the family became worried when they could barely hear the questions being asked. It was not long, before Brains stood up and crossed the room to the medicine cabinet. Pulling out a small vial and a syringe, Brains drew out the recommended amount for children Alan's age. Quickly crossing the room again, Brains quietly whispered to Alan and the boy held out his arm._

_ John gently pulled Alan's head to his chest, he knew the boy had a severe dislike for needles and tried to avoid them at all costs. Cradling his little brother to his chest, John sat in silence for five minutes after the pain medicine had been injected before he felt Alan go limp in his arms. The boy had fallen asleep."_

_*END JOHN'S FLASHBACK*_

"Okay, but how does that explain his becoming drunk? If it was the recommended amount, then Alan shouldn't have experienced any unusual side effects." Dr. Andreessen was thoroughly confused. Thankfully Virgil spoke up this time and carried on John's explanation

"He did give him the recommended amount for Alan's age. But even the recommended amount for Alan's age group at the time was too much for him. Alan was quite small for his age. When he was twelve, it appeared that he was maybe nine or ten. After all he was a preemie when he was born…like Gordon here." Virgil ruffled Gordon's hair which earned him a slap on the hand and a glare…Virgil however continued in his explanation while ignoring the glare from his little brother. "We were told by Alan's pediatrician that Alan would have a slightly stunted growth pattern due to being a preemie. We found that out the hard way though by giving Alan the recommended amounts judging on age alone without taking into account his size and stature."

"So then what happened?" Dr. Andreessen took notice of Virgil and the Tracy brothers smiles.

"Well, it went something like this…" Virgil began to explain.

_*VIRGIL'S FLASHBACK*_

_John laid Alan back on the bed, and finally took notice of the dark circles under Alan's eyes. Standing up, John removed Alan's tennis shoes before placing them on the floor. Turning to his little brother, John smiled when a still dripping wet Virgil stepped up. Both older males grabbed the thin duvet and pulled it up to Alan's shoulders._

_ "So Brains what's wrong with him?" Jeff pulled up a chair from the opposite side of the room, before taking a seat beside his youngest son's infirmary bed._

_ "I w-would have to s-say he was s-suffering f-from a m-migraine Jeff, a-and a bad one a-at that." Brains gazed over his shoulder at the slumbering Alan; he stood up and crossed the infirmary floor to the sink before wetting a flannel lightly before returning and draping it over Alan's forehead._

_ "What leads you to believe he suffered a migraine?" Virgil spoke upon answering his father's question knowing the symptoms himself._

_"I know I didn't get to see the symptoms firsthand, however upon entering the room and Scott's explanation; Alan was in excruciating pain." Virgil paused in explanation, as Scott stepped in and spoke quietly. He hadn't gone into detail about what was wrong with Alan to their dad, he just raced into his dad's office grabbed Brains and took off saying it was Alan._

_"When John and I found him dad, Alan's bedroom was pitch black. He was lying on the floor clutching at his head and whimpering. John sent me to go get you and Brains while he brought him to the infirmary."_

_"So then why was he sick just now? Lucy never suffered nausea or vomiting with her migraines." Jeff ran his fingers through his hair staring at his youngest son._

_"That was my fault dad. I ran with him in my arms and I guess with him keeping his eyes closed Alan experienced slight motion sickness. He only began to look green when we ran into the infirmary." John scratched lightly at the base of Alan's head and earned a shiver from the sleeping boy._

_"Migraine pain can get quite bad…it can often lead to nausea and vomiting depending on how bad the pain is, that and the person's pain threshold. My best guess is that the pain had reached a high level judging on Alan's refusal to open his eyes and the way he reacted to Gordon speaking using his inside voice. That coupled with fast motions, could make anyone sick." Virgil leaned against the wall beside Alan's bed and gazed at the sleeping boy._

_ "But what could cause him to suffer from migraines? Lucy suffered from them, but…those didn't begin happening until after she gave birth to Scott." Jeff paused as he struggled to think of any plausible explanation for why Alan would suffer from migraines._

_ "Well, s-since this i-is the first o-occurrence…I w-would wager it c-could be t-the onset of p-puberty. Puberty a-as you well k-know c-changes the l-level of h-hormones within a p-person's body a-and that c-could lead t-to migraines a-as well. So-o like Lucy e-experiencing them after Scott's b-birth then it c-could be the f-fluctuation of his h-hormones." Brains explained the possible rationalization of Alan's migraine._

_ "But he doesn't appear to have grown or anything. His voice is still the same as it was when he left for boarding school. He hasn't changed at all…at least none of the obvious changes one might notice in pubescent children." Jeff ran his fingers through his hair, racking his brain for anything else that could explain Alan's migraine._

_ "Dad, you are aware that Alan could have gone into puberty, but just has not experienced any of the physical changes yet right? His hormone levels could certainly be increasing, but he just hasn't reached the stage where his voice will deepen or any of the other physical maturation signs become obvious." Virgil grinned. Discussing things like puberty and 'the talk' as most pubescent kids referred to it as was not Jefferson Tracy's strong suit. The man somehow managed to slightly mess up having 'the talk' with his three oldest sons and Scott handled it with Gordon when he became of age so as to not scar the boy._

_ "Couldn't there be a more plausible explanation for his migraines?" Jeff ran a hand over his face. He really didn't want to think about his youngest son growing up like that. He was still his little boy. He had only just turned twelve…wasn't it still a bit too soon for him to reach puberty?_

_ "Well dad, the only other explanations would be a brain tumor, a severe head injury, a sudden sensitivity to loud noises, or bright lights or the most likely being puberty. Personally I feel it is puberty as he seemed fine if not a little bit tired when Scott and he got home the other day." Virgil listed off the only plausible causes for migraines beside the obvious that their dad refused to acknowledge. Jeff paled at the thought._

_ "Okay, so it sounds like the onset of puberty. So what do we do? Is there a way to help Alan control them should more come around?"_

_ Virgil and Brains smiled at each other. They felt accomplished at convincing Jeff it was in fact something that really couldn't be controlled causing the boy's major migraine. The group sat around discussing things quietly for the next hour until Alan finally began to come around._

_ "Hey sprout. You're awake…you really scared us." Scott leaned over the bed and looked into Alan unfocused blue eyes._

_ "Wha?" Alan slurred his speech a little, and Virgil noticed right away. The middle Tracy leaned forward before asking Alan softly how he felt._

_ "Sill huts…no bad though" Virgil and Brains shared a confused look. Alan slurring his speech was slightly unnerving._

_ "What's wrong with him Brains? He is never this groggy upon waking up." Jeff leaned forward and ran his fingers across Alan's arm. Apparently Alan was very sensitive to touch, because he released a peal of laughter. Everybody in the room jumped at Alan's reaction to touch._

_ "No tou…teekles!" Alan slurred his words again, and John who sat beside Alan on the bed placed his hand on Alan's shoulder earning another peal of laughter and Alan squirming away from the touch._

_ "Why is he laughing, wasn't he in pain an hour ago?" Jeff asked with wide blue eyes. Alan's eyes however were still unfocused and the boy saw Scott before speaking without a strong slur._

_ "Don't let the octopi get me dad!" Alan spoke clearly, but it was obvious by what he was saying that Alan was either having trouble seeing correctly or he was delirious._

_ "What octopi? What is he talking about?" Scott quirked an eyebrow at being called dad by his little brother, and the fact that Alan had been looking at Gordon, Virgil and John before proclaiming something about octopi._

_ "Is it possible for him to be experiencing side effects from the pain medicine Brains?" Jeff looked just as puzzled by Alan calling his oldest brother 'dad' and what Alan was saying about octopi._

_ "He c-could be d-drunk off t-the medicine. Only t-time will t-tell. If h-he straightens u-up w-within the n-next hour we w-will k-know what c-caused his u-unusual b-behavior."_

_*END VIRGIL'S FLASHBACK*_

"Needless to say that he was ticklish and a giggle box for the next hour and a half. Our dad was beside himself. He couldn't figure out why Alan was experiencing migraines, but about a month later it became obvious why." Scott stepped in with his two cents and had a wide grin planted on his face. Even though all the brothers felt bad about Alan's migraine, they all thought Alan being drunk on the medicine was funny at the time. Alan certainly thought it was hilarious.

The group had stopped walking when they realized they were outside Alan and Fermat's private hospital room. The boys gazed into the room but could only see two curtains pulled around the places where the beds had been the previous night. Gordon looked at his older brothers with a quirked eyebrow.

"Dr. Andreessen, why are the curtains pulled around Alan and Fermat's beds? Didn't they know we were coming to visit?" Gordon turned to the doctor as he spoke. He noticed the doctor had his hand raised mid-knock at the door.

"Yes, they knew you were coming. At least Alan and your father did. Hiram and Fermat are still visiting. I pulled the curtains around their beds to offer them privacy when visiting with each other." Dr. Andreessen knocked twice on the door before waving at the group of brothers and turning to walk away.

"Hey! Aren't you going to go open the curtain by Alan's bed? How are we supposed to visit with him if we can't see him to communicate?" Scott had an incredulous look on his face and the eldest brother jumped when he heard a familiar ringtone. Patting his pockets, Scott pulled out his cell phone to see the caller ID read: DAD.


	12. Don't Laugh At Me!

RECAP:

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General POV

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Dr. Andreessen knocked twice on the door before waving at the group of brothers and turning to walk away.

"Hey! Aren't you going to go open the curtain by Alan's bed? How are we supposed to visit with him if we can't see him to communicate?" Scott had an incredulous look on his face and the eldest brother jumped when he heard a familiar ringtone. Patting his pockets, Scott pulled out his cell phone to see the caller ID read: DAD.

"Why would dad be calling your phone Scotty?" Worry dripped from the words that Gordon spoke. The brothers all stared at Scott's phone.

"I don't know. Do you think something is wrong with the sprout?" Scott whispered. He was afraid to answer the call, fearing that his dad would have bad news.

"Well, don't just let it continue to ring! If something is wrong, we need to know what it is! Answer it Scott!" Virgil urged Scott to answer his cell phone, anything to silence the personalized Alan Jackson "Where I come from" ringtone.

Scott stared at the phone in his hand, contemplating the decision to answer it. He was afraid. Turning his gaze back up towards the spot where Alan's bed was behind the curtain, Scott inhaled deeply before closing his eyes. Clenching a fist tightly around his phone, he made the decision to bite the proverbial bullet and find out why his dad was calling.

"Hello? Dad is everything okay?" Scott's brown eyebrows were knit together with worry. His blue eyes showed the fear that dwelled deep within his heart.

"Hey, everything's fine. You're on speaker phone. Somebody wants to say hello to you." Jeff's voice rang out and Scott nearly dropped his phone as it finally occurred to him why his dad was calling.

"Alan?" Scott's voice was strangled with emotion and the three remaining brothers stared with a look of fear on their face.

"It's me Scotty." Scott blinked furiously to chase the tears that were gathering in his eyes. He almost dropped to his knees when he heard the voice he had so wanted to hear for the past three days. Not trusting his ability to stand, Scott walked to the wall opposite from the window looking into Alan and Fermat's room. Leaning heavily against it, Scott managed to form words.

"How are you doing baby?" Scott's lip trembled. The feeling of the fear he had felt at the scene of the fire returned tenfold.

"I'm okay Scotty." Alan barely spoke above a whisper, and Scott could make out the sound of blowing air. Alan's voice sounded hoarse, and he cleared his throat before coughing harshly.

"You don't sound okay sprout. Please…please don't lie to me. How are you…really?" Scott inhaled lightly as he heard Alan cough again. He could make out his dad muttering to Alan to 'breathe deeply'.

"Really…I'm okay Scotty. My throat is sore, but the doctor assured me it would get better if I remain on oxygen for a week." Alan spoke softly and slowly. The hiss of air slightly muffled what Alan was saying, and Scott had to focus hard on what was being said.

"Why are you talking if your throat hurts? You should be resting your voice, not straining it." Scott was upset that Alan needed oxygen, but hoped it would help Alan get rid of the roughness in his voice. Scott noticed his three younger brothers gazing intently at him.

"Because, I wanted to hear your voice and it would be rude of me to not speak to my brothers when I know they are probably bald from ripping their hair out over me." Scott smiled despite his anxieties. Alan had just cracked a joke, and it brightened Scott's mood considerably.

"Well, I know some anxious young men who are about to cause a rebellion to get my phone to speak to you. If you don't mind, I would like to put you on speaker phone so they can talk also." Scott looked at his three younger brothers and knew he made the right decision to suggest putting the phone on speaker phone. It would be easier on Alan also if he didn't have to answer the same questions.

"Sure Scotty. I would greatly appreciate that." Alan coughed again and cleared his throat gently to get rid of the dry patch.

"Okay, hold on a moment." Scott pulled the phone from his ear before manipulating the phone to project the call through the speakers. "Okay, you're on speaker now. Say hello." Scott smiled at the looks of confusion that were alight on his younger brother's faces.

"Hey Johnny, hey Virgie and hey Gordo, miss me?" Alan coughed yet again and the four brothers in the hall shuddered at the wheezy cough. Quietly the brothers could hear Jeff talking softly to Alan, reminding him to breathe deeply several times. Alan grunted in reply.

"Are you okay Al?" John chimed in, his blonde eyebrows knitting together in concern for his little brother.

"He's fine boys. Dr. Andreessen wants him to wear an oxygen mask to help him breathe. The smoke inhalation made your brother's throat raw, and he has to wear it at all times." A softer cough rang out through the speaker system, and the brothers looked at each other.

"So are you hanging in there for us?" Gordon asked his question loudly and clearly from his spot in the hall directly in front of the door leading into Alan and Fermat's room.

"As best as I can be. The injuries really make it difficult to be up and around, but Dr. Andreessen had me doing therapy earlier when he was changing my dressings. If I don't do the therapy it will make the recovery that much longer." The sound of clothe rustling could be heard through the speaker in the hallway.

"How's your pain level sprout?" Virgil's brown eyes were wide with emotion. He leaned against the wall beside Scott and gazed at the phone in his brother's hand. The brothers continued to stare at the phone…the clothe rustling was muffling what Alan was saying.

"Hey Allie, could you repeat that? We couldn't understand you. By the way what is that noise?" Scott held the phone close to his mouth so what he was saying could be heard clearly.

"Sorry Scott. Alan was squirming around the bed. The incision on his broken arm is itching and he keeps trying to scratch at it. I have the phone in my shirt pocket and I was trying to keep him from scratching. That was me you were hearing moving around." The brothers in the hall heaved a sigh thankful the weird noise was nothing serious.

"Allie, you know you shouldn't scratch. It will just make the itch worse." Virgil murmured into the phone. A grin was on his face all the while. Alan did tend to fidget when the topic was solely on him.

"I can't help it if my arm itches. If you saw my arm you would itch too. The bandages feel like wool." Alan whined. The brothers tried not to openly laugh at their baby brother's obvious discomfort. Gordon shook with silent laughter at Alan's description of what the bandages felt like.

"By the way in answer to your earlier question, Alan is feeling almost no pain. The doctor has him on some strong pain medications." Jeff spoke up and a chuckle was heard from Alan's smoke roughened voice.

"Yeah, some very good drugs, before the nurse brought the lunch cart around I was laughing at almost everything. The doctor even told a joke that I knew was stupid and I still laughed like it was the funniest thing ever to be told." Scott grinned. The doctor was not lying when he said Alan was giggly.

"By the way, what took you guys and the doctor so long to get back? The doctor left the room and was going to return right away with you guys, and you guys didn't come back for thirty-five minutes." Jeff's curious voice rang out. Scott and John rolled their eyes. Their dad was using the 'were-you-causing-mischief' voice that he used on Gordon and Alan.

"We were just telling the doctor about how we've seen you gorked out on pain meds before. We used the 'migraine' incident as the prime example." Gordon chuckled lightly.

"Oh my god, you guys! For the last time, it was not a migraine! Did you guys forget that dad had me go in to get braces put on before Scott picked me up from school? It was not puberty nor was it a migraine like you guys keep insisting! My mouth hurt because the braces were too tight! I have had bad headaches before, but you guys should know that I have never had a migraine!" Alan sounded embarrassed. His brothers kept insisting that it was the other when Alan knew the supposed migraine was just a really bad headache. The brackets had been too tight, and he had been unable to sleep the night prior.

"Boys don't pick on your brother. He doesn't need to be riled up right now." Jeff's calm voice could be heard through the phone's speaker. The brothers enjoyed embarrassing their brother…they knew it wasn't really puberty or a migraine, but at the time they had no way of knowing. But like Scott said they hadn't found out what caused Alan's bad headache for about a month. They honestly had not been told their baby brother had orthodontic treatment until Gordon had accidently walked in on Alan brushing his teeth. That had been interesting; Alan's face had been beet red during Gordon's taunting's. Jeff however abated the teasing when he reminded all the boys how it felt to be in braces. They all had braces at one time and should know how uncomfortable they can be.

"Dad will you please talk to Dr. Andreessen and let him know that I don't actually get migraines?" Alan groaned to his dad and Scott, Virgil and Gordon shook with silent laughter. John however didn't laugh. He did think it was migraines at first when he had Scott go get Brains. He was the one sitting beside Alan when the kid threw up from the pain. Alan always had a low tolerance for pain, so it was understandable that he would be sick. But truthfully, he had seen the brackets. At the time though, he hadn't put two and two together. John had experienced similar pain. His braces had been put on too tight as well and he could sympathize. Virgil however had embellished on the story to the doctor when John was going to say outright that Al's orthodontics caused the strong head pain.

"I'll do it Allie. I was going to tell the doc it was from your orthodontics, but the guys took it and ran with it." John spoke loudly and clearly. His passive voice calmed Alan instantly.

"I wish you guys wouldn't do that. It's embarrassing! If I do it to you guys I get grounded, but you guys do it to me all the time!" Alan sighed heavily. John smirked at hearing Alan's obvious irritation with his brothers.

"Sorry kiddo. But that is big brother privilege." Scott spoke up, the boys could almost envision Alan rolling his eyes and mouthing the words spoken by the eldest.

"Okay, now let's stop with the teasing and get to visiting. If you guys behave I will open the curtain so you can see your brother." Jeff's stern voice carried out into the hall.

"Sorry sprout. We didn't mean anything by it, just a way to relieve tension." Virgil apologized and the sincerity could be heard. Scott and Gordon apologized as well, and Alan could tell they meant their words of apology.

"I forgive you. Just please don't do it anymore. I don't know how much humiliation I can take based on that incident." He knew they did it to try using comedic relief, but he didn't appreciate the fact that he was the brunt of the joke. After all, he was the one in the hospital for crying out loud!

"Not gonna make any promises, but we will try not to tease you too much while you are in the hospital." Gordon spoke up; he didn't want to make his little brother feel bad about his situation.

"I am not expecting you guys to not tease me, I just don't like having that particular story told. Any other story is fine, just not that one in particular." The brothers could almost see Alan's I-give-up grin.

"So if not that particular story, then can I talk about that time when I convinced you to drink that concoction that I made with various items from the kitchen? You know the one that involved the horse radish sauce?" Gordon grinned as he thought of that particular incident.

"Gordon…do me a favor will you?" Alan's voice deadpanned.

"Okay, and what would that be sprout?" Gordon had a lopsided grin as he spoke.

"Can it…okay? That gave me food poisoning and it was not fun. I don't care how funny you thought it was. Fresh horse radish run through the juicer is hot. Why do you think I now avoid anything with horse radish as a primary ingredient?" Alan sounded irritated, but you could detect a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Aw come on sprout. You knew that you were the guinea pig for that experiment. If I had drawn the shorter straw, then I would have done it myself." Gordon covered his mouth to hide the smile.

"Nuh-uh Gordo. I know you. You would have found a way to slip that concoction to me. Also no, I didn't know you were going to make that horrid creation and make me drink it. But telling me it was one of Scott's protein shakes was low even for you." Alan coughed again when he spoke.

"Okay, well let's not argue and just say we did. It is over and done with." John intercepted the beginning of an argument. There was a brief pause and the silence was deafening.

"Okay, so then what else do you guys want to talk about?" Alan muttered quietly.

"How about how you are really doing? We already established that little cough of yours is due to smoke inhalation and that the incision in your arm is making you itchy. What else?" Scott ticked off using his fingers to name the topics about Alan they already discussed.

"Well, nothing really is different. I have to have my dressing changed several times a day and I am given morphine for that, because it involves Dr. Andreessen scrubbing at the burns. It hurts very much even with the morphine and I wouldn't even wish it on my worst enemy. I feel bad that Fermat is experiencing it with me." Virgil winced when Alan described part of the process for dressing changes on burn patients. He knew it wasn't comfortable, but jeez! Scrubbing at the wounds?

Scott gazed at Virgil when he noticed his younger brother wince. Just thinking about having a burn scrubbed at made the brothers shudder. Scott bit his lip slightly. He was trying to find a subject that wouldn't cause his younger brother more pain, but nothing was coming to mind. He didn't want to ask about how Alan's schooling was going before the fire happened, because he didn't want to cause Alan to remember having to run through the flames.

"If you don't mind telling us more about your injuries, we would gladly listen." John volunteered himself and his brothers for listening to Alan. If their baby brother had to endure the pain, they could at least experience some of the pain with him, which is what brothers are for, being a pillar of strength when somebody needed a shoulder to lean on.

"Well…I don't really know if you guys want to know the extent of my burns." The brothers could hear the indecision in Alan's voice.

"It's okay Alan. You were able to tell me, and I handled it okay, besides your brothers will be able to help you through it. We all will." Jeff's calm voice echoed softly through the hall way.

"What's he talking about Sprout?" Scott inquired. He wanted to give Alan a hug right this minute. To hear the boy sound so unsure of himself was disheartening. Alan was loud, boastful and very outgoing, not this quiet almost timid boy.

"Well…the physical therapy that Dr. Andreessen has me doing is to keep my legs from tightening up. I am going to need skin grafts after the burns heal a little, then I am going to need to learn how to walk again. The doctor is afraid that I won't be able to walk normally without the skin graft because...apparently I have some nerve damage in my feet." Alan began to cry, and the brothers could hear Alan's choked sobs. "It sucks! I am going to need to be put in isolation when I am about to receive my skin grafts. The doctors have to give me medicine that will lower my immune system, so I won't be allowed to have visitors for a week before the surgery or the week after!" Another choked sob could be heard, and the brothers in the hall wanted to give their little brother a hug.

'_Alan doesn't deserve this! He is only fourteen years old! Why couldn't it have happened to me, anybody but Alan!" _Scott thought to himself, and struggled to control his emotions. Alan never cries, and yet here he is sobbing over his situation. A single tear fell, and Scott was quick to wipe it away. It would do no good to cry right now. Crying won't make Alan better faster. But unbeknownst to the occupants behind Alan's curtain, that the brothers made a vow to find out who or what caused the fire and the injuries to Alan and Fermat, their two little brothers.

"It'll be okay Alan. All you have to do is just rest. You will need all the strength you can get for when you do begin walking again. We will be there for you." Virgil made sure his voice sounded strong to provide some comfort to Alan. The boy was already upset, and he doesn't need to hear the fear in his older brothers' voices.

"I am just pissed off that this happened to me! I am just hoping that he didn't cause this. If he did, then I was right about him!" Alan's voice cracked and you could hear the rage in his voice. Almost as quick as the anger came on though, it was gone. Replaced with more tears and shuddering breaths.

"Alan calm down. Take a deep breath. I promised Dr. Andreessen that you wouldn't get too riled up, I can't visit you again if he feels it is detrimental to your recovery." Another shuddering breath was heard, but it was quickly released. It was obvious that Alan was trying to calm his emotions. The brothers in the hall stood quietly to allow Alan a moment to collect himself.

"I'm sorry." Alan's voice sounded pitiful, he sounded honestly like a small child when he apologized for venting.

"No worries sprout. You got it out of your system. It's better that we received your irritation than somebody else, like your doctor or Fermat." Gordon spoke up and the brothers nodded in agreement. Alan was right to blow up now with his family there to calm him down than to say or do something he would regret later.

"But you guys didn't deserve my anger." Alan sighed heavily.

"Well, can't say that we didn't either. We were teasing you earlier, so consider this just comeuppance. Besides Gordon is right, it's better that you blew up now than maybe when you are alone with Fermat or the doctor." Scott tried to reassure his baby brother that it was okay to lose his temper. Besides he wasn't blaming his family for the fire, he was just getting out how he felt about his treatment.

"Can we talk about something else please?" Alan sounded sad. The brothers racked their brain to come up with a topic that Alan would find relaxing, but not one that would affect their 'family business'.

"What would you like to talk about Al?" John's cool voice calmed Alan's nerves some. But the only thing the boy could think of to talk about was rescues with the Thunderbirds, the fire, and the nightmare he had. He didn't want to talk more in depth about his other burns if he could help it. But he also knew he couldn't really ask his brothers about the 'family business' without giving away their heavily guarded secret. "The only two things I can come up with are to talk about the fire and the nightmare I had last night. Which one would you rather talk about?"

"Why don't you tell us about your nightmare? It might reoccur if you don't talk about it." Virgil knew that Alan was afraid. According to Dr. McNulty earlier that morning, Alan had been screaming and flailing about his bed. It required Alan being sedated to make him go back to sleep.

"Okay." Alan whispered. He really didn't want to relive the whole happening, but Virgil was right. If Alan didn't talk about it he was bound to have it happen again. "Dad can you open the curtain?"

"Sure Allie." The rustling of clothes could be heard as Jeff stood up. Soon the sound of wheels turning could be heard as the curtain was run along the track just enough that the brothers in the hall could see Alan.

The brothers had to steel themselves to what Alan would look like. They didn't want him to see their reactions to any new bandages he might have. Looking up, they saw their dad wave from just within the curtain and they couldn't help but to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up boys." Jeff replied to his son's reaction with a grin.

"What are you wearing dad?" Scott covered his mouth and his face turned bright red at laughing at his dad's wardrobe. John chuckled quietly as did Virgil. Gordon on the other hand stood facing the wall and had his head resting on his arms. He was laughing uncontrollably; when he managed to turn to his brothers it quickly renewed their laughter. Gordon's face matched his copper hair, and his eyes were tearing up.

"They are called scrubs. You should know that. Occasionally Brains or Virgil wear them when treating you guys on the island." Jeff chuckled, but he was also slightly embarrassed that his sons were laughing so hard. Turning slightly Jeff noticed Alan had a completely straight face. He seemed to be deep in thought, and Jeff walked up to sit beside him. Placing a hand gently on Alan's unbroken arm, Jeff managed to break his son out of his trance.

"What's up dad?" Alan gazed up at his dad with fearful blue eyes. He didn't want his dad to leave him alone, and he was afraid that if he didn't at least talk about his nightmare, then his dad would go back to their hotel.

"You okay Allie?" Jeff murmured to Alan. Gazing into Alan's eyes, Jeff could plainly see the fear that was in Alan's sapphire blue eyes.

"I'm scared." Alan could see his brothers huddled around the phone, each wearing an almost identical frown.

Scott redirected his gaze from the phone up towards the window so he could look up at Alan. He could see the fear from his spot in the hall, and it perturbed him. Alan doesn't normally display his emotions unless it was anger or happiness. Scott tilted his head to the side and smiled at his baby brother allowing the smile to reach his eyes if only for a moment. He hoped that by smiling at Alan like he had when they were young that it would give Alan the courage to talk about his nightmare and get the weight off his chest.

"It's okay sprout. We all get scared sometimes. Just tell us what you can, if it gets to be too much for you to handle we can stop and come back to it another time." Scott spoke in a low murmur. It wouldn't do to speak at a normal level to the frightened boy; it had to be a quiet, calm voice. Scott had learned that the hard way when Alan was small. If he awoke with a nightmare, he would just cry more if the person comforting him didn't talk quietly and calmly.

"Alright, let me start from the beginning." Alan took a deep breath before closing his eyes.


	13. Reliving My Real Life Nightmare

"In my dream, I opened my eyes and I was laying in my bed back in the dorms. I couldn't breathe. The first thing I noticed was my room was lit up with an orange light. Each time I tried to take in a breath, it just felt like someone had their hand around my throat and was squeezing. I began coughing, and it made my throat hurt more." Alan paused in his explanation to take a deep breath from his oxygen mask. A lump formed in his throat and it made speaking difficult.

"I crawled out of bed and tried to stand up. But I became really weak and I fell to the floor. As I lay on the floor, I tried to call out to Fermat. Each time I tried to speak, I would cough real hard. I was finally able to say Fermat's name, but it wasn't loud enough to be heard. Even I could barely hear it."

The brothers in the hall listened intently and watched Alan swallow. Jeff who sat on the bed with Alan could feel the mattress quivering. Alan was shaking so hard, that Jeff placed a hand softly on Alan's shoulder to try to bring him back from the hellish memory. Everybody stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt Alan should his courage run screaming in the other direction.

"The next thing I knew, my eyes started to close. It was getting difficult to keep them open. I could only see a bunch of spots, and they began to make my head hurt. I closed my eyes briefly and the next time I opened my eyes it was with Fermat yelling at me."

Alan had a small smile appear on his face at the thought of his best friend Fermat. The boy was two years younger than Alan and yet he had also braved the fire at Wharton's. Fermat had been Alan's incentive to want to get out alive.

"Fermat was kneeling down beside me trying to wake me up. He kept telling me we needed to escape. But when the two of us looked around we realized we were on the fourth floor and it was too far to jump from the window. Fermat grabbed my arm and hauled me up to my feet. The next thing I knew we were in the bathroom and Fermat was blocking the door. The smoke was already present, but it wasn't as thick as it was in our bedroom. Fermat shoved me into the bathtub and turned on the water before crawling in beside me."

Alan got a faraway look on his face as he remembered the nightmare as well as the night of the fire. Everything that had happened in his nightmare had really taken place. Scott and the brothers watched as Alan's eyes dulled and he appeared dissociated. As he spoke, his voice had gone from real emotional, to almost monotone.

"Fermat and I were on our knees under the water, it was freezing. But it was so hot in the room; it felt hotter what we get on the island. Fermat stood up briefly before grabbing a couple towels and getting them wet as well. He tied a towel around my mouth and nose. After we were thoroughly drenched he yelled at me that we had to leave. I was only barely aware that he had been talking to someone else not in the room with us."

Alan hardly blinked. On several occasions Jeff would place his fingers under Alan's chin and lift his head to look into his eyes. Alan simply stared straight ahead as he recounted what happened in his nightmare. Jeff looked out at his older sons and they all were staring at Alan with sympathy.

"I kept coughing, and again everything began to go dark. Fermat slapped me several times to wake me up. The last time, he seemed angry. He yelled at me that I couldn't allow myself to go to sleep. But I was so tired, and the darkness seemed inviting. I put my focus back on Fermat when he continued yelling at me. He told me we had to leave and try to get outside where we could breathe. I could hardly hear him. The roar from the flames was so loud, it was almost deafening. Fermat didn't even both turning off the shower; he just grabbed me and another wet towel to open the door."

_Blink-Blink_ Alan finally blinked after three minutes of nothing. His eyes never changed. As he continued to recount his nightmare, the brothers in the hall couldn't help but to shiver. To see Alan the way he was currently was frightening.

"Fermat grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to my feet. The both of us were shaking; our pajamas were soaked through and through. Fermat held my hand. We decided that we wanted to hold hands so we wouldn't get separated. We walked to the bathroom door, and Fermat put the wet towel over the knob. We both took a breath as best as we could, and he opened the door."

Tears began streaming down Alan's face. Still Alan didn't blink. He seemed oblivious to the tears making trails down his face, and he missed the wide eyed look he received form his dad and brothers at his lack of awareness. Jeff swallowed heavily, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew Alan had relived escaping the fire within his nightmare.

"The two of us were knocked to the ground by the flames. We lay on the floor and stared back into our room. The heat hurt my eyes, and the room was painfully bright. There were flames falling from the ceiling, and my bed was almost gone. The wall by Fermat's bed was just a wall of orange. Besides the bright flames the room was filled with black smoke. I began coughing again."

Alan coughed in real time, but the despondency never left. Tears continued to course down Alan's face, and his voice remained monotone. Jeff had by this time grabbed a tissue and began dabbing at Alan's eyes. The tears that fell from Alan's face left wet splatter marks on his blanket.

"Fermat grabbed my hand again and pulled me back up. We ran through the room, we didn't want to be in there any longer. Fermat put the towel over the door knob and opened the door. The heat and flames pushed us back towards the flames in our room. I waved my arms, to try to keep them from getting on me. The flames came past the threshold of the door and quickly closed off our exit. We pushed past that and ran through the fire."

Scott felt tears welling up in his eyes at his baby brother's description of what had undoubtedly happened in real life as well as in the nightmare. That would be the only explanation for Alan closing himself off. Looking around, Scott noticed his younger brothers were in a similar state to himself. All were fighting tears.

"We ran and several times stepped on areas that were just patches of fire. We paid no mind to the pain, we just wanted out. A couple times I stepped on blocks of wood and they would burst open and the flames would begin burning my pajama pants. We ran down the stairs to the third floor and were almost to the second floor when I heard the ceiling groan."

Alan's breathing increased. He started to gulp air, and Jeff patted Alan's face to try to bring his baby back from the memory that he was currently trapped in. The tears stopped, and soon the tear tracks were dry trails. The brothers in the hall watched Alan begin to fall apart before he managed to compose himself.

"Fermat and I ignored the groaning ceiling. We kept running. My right and his left hand stayed together. We would see the stairwell that would take us to the second floor, and kept running. We were so close."

Alan blinked again and his voice cracked slightly. His eyes seemed to brighten a little, before quickly returning to their dull appearance. John watched his brother with watery blue eyes. He hated hearing his brother's account of what happened in both real life and within the realm of nightmares, but also knew that to begin the healing process not only for Alan's psyche but for his body he had to talk about his experience.

"I heard a snap, and everything went black. The next time I woke up, I was extremely close to the flames. My arm hurt and I couldn't see it. I looked around in a panic. I didn't know where my arm had gone, I could feel it. It hurt so badly, but I couldn't see it. I tried to move my arm and I couldn't help but to scream. The pain increased and I began feeling nauseated."

Alan's face paled considerably and Jeff for a moment thought Alan was going to pass out. But Alan continued speaking.

"I could hear Fermat screaming on the other side of what was laying on my arm. I turned my head to my right and almost threw up. The reason I couldn't see my arm, was because it was lying underneath a support beam from the ceiling. The beam was on fire and it was really close to my face. I could feel my fingers twitching, so I knew they were not directly under the beam."

All the blood drained from Virgil's face. The bad feeling he had while aboard T1 treating Alan and Fermat's injuries were correct. Alan and Fermat must have moved the beam to free themselves. That would explain the severe burns all over their hands. Alan blinked, and the tears began another course down his cheeks.

"The beam began to shift, and it made my arm hurt more. I began praying to be rescued. I didn't want to die. I wanted to see you guys again. Then I heard another groan come from the ceiling, and I was afraid that this was it. Fermat and I would no longer be here, and you guys would be left alone. I felt a rush of adrenaline and made up my mind that I wasn't going to die in a fire. I was going to try to free Fermat and I from our prison or die trying."

Light seemed to flicker to life in Alan's eyes as he came back from his memory. The return of the light was slow, but Jeff could see it and he prayed that Lucy would pull some strings from her side to help heal Alan and Fermat from the ordeal.

"I twisted around so that I could slip my left hand under the beam. I yelled as loud as I could. I needed to be heard over the flames, and I hoped Fermat could hear me. We both quickly agreed that we would try to lift the beam off our limbs so we could keep trying to get out. By this time, both Fermat and I were coughing anytime we tried to breath."

The tears started to stream down Alan's face faster than they had been previously. When Alan took a breath, upon exhaling he shuddered. His breath was shaky and Jeff and the brothers could see Alan was trying to keep it together. The memory was still a very fresh and painful wound. Gordon watched Alan inhale deeply. He would be willing to put aside the bravado that he and Alan maintained to hug his little brother. He didn't know if Alan wanted a hug, but right now Gordon needed one.

"Fermat and I counted to three before lifting up the beam. It was very heavy having only the use of one arm. My hands were hurting badly, and I struggled to lift the beam any higher. Soon I screamed because I felt the pressure lift completely off my arm. I wanted to drop it, but I knew it wouldn't be fair to Fermat. After all he helped me get the beam off my arm."

Alan inhaled deeply again before he coughed harshly. Blinking furiously, Alan tried to chase the fatigue away. He didn't want to go to sleep. He was afraid the nightmares would return. But retelling what occurred in his nightmare and being able to visit his family was draining him of what little energy he had. Shaking his head gently, he felt some of his awareness return.

"I held the beam up a little longer, and then I heard Fermat yell that he was free. My hand felt hot, and I couldn't hold the beam up any longer. I hoped and prayed that Fermat was clear of the beam so I could drop it. The moment I released it, I noticed my vision beginning to blur. I ignored the vertigo, and stood up. I wanted to find Fermat and make sure he was okay."

Again Alan's eyes became a dull blue, and Alan's voice became monotone again. Virgil realized that Alan was trying to separate himself from the more painful memories. He leaned his head against the glass and gazed in at his baby brother. Alan stared unseeingly at the blanket draped over his legs and it really disturbed Virgil to see Alan in such a state.

"I looked around for Fermat, and I found him lying close to the wall. He had let go of the beam and left me to hold it up. He wasn't moving, and I wasn't close enough to tell if he was alive or not. I stepped over the beam and stepped on some of the embers. They popped under my feet, but I don't remember feeling pain."

Jeff and Scott at the same time inhaled sharply. Alan hadn't felt the flames directly under his feet? The nerve damage must be extraordinary to make a person unable to feel pain of such magnitude. Either that or the adrenaline was so strong, that it blocked out Alan's sense of pain.

"I began crying. I was afraid that Fermat had died. He wasn't moving and he wouldn't respond to me when I called out to him. As I got closer to Fermat, I could see he was moving, but he was clutching at his ankle. He was sobbing in pain, and the roar of the flames increased. I couldn't hear him crying, but I could see him. I figured if I couldn't hear him crying he wouldn't be able to hear me yelling for him."

Alan stopped talking and the light returned to Alan's eyes chasing the dullness away. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled a shaky breath. Jeff sat in silence waiting for Alan to continue his story of his nightmare, but Alan remained silent. Jeff took the initiative to talk to Alan.

"Allie, are you okay? What happened next?" Jeff spoke softly to Alan. He paused to give Alan adequate time to answer but when one didn't come Jeff tried to prompt him again. "Come on, tell dad what happened. It's okay Allie." Alan lifted his head and looked directly into Jeff's eyes before speaking.

"That's it. Dr. Andreessen got me to wake up. He told me it was just a nightmare. I was so sure it was real. I was afraid that I was still trapped. I don't ever want to b-be there again!" Alan's voice cracked and he stuttered as his emotions ate away at his composure. Alan quickly began to hyperventilate, and Jeff began murmuring to Alan to calm down. In his haste to calm Alan, he failed to remember the sensitive spot that usually calmed Alan right down.

"Dad, try rubbing the back of Alan's head. That was how I got him to calm down whenever he was upset as a child! Remember, I showed you where it was at after Alan had that night terror when he was six!" Scott was quick to remind his dad of the spot at the base of Alan's skull.

Jeff gently began scratching at the spot, and after a few moments Alan fell into a restless sleep his head pillowed on Jeff's strong shoulder. His breathing evened out, and his eyes closed before going limp in his dad's arms. Jeff laid Alan back on the bed, and just watched Alan. He wanted to make sure Alan would stay asleep before he paged the doctor to come check on Alan.

"Hey dad, is he sleeping?" Jeff looked down at his shirt pocket before standing up and grabbing the phone. He pulled it out, and took the phone off speaker phone before placing the phone to his ear. He didn't want anything to wake Alan after he had just gone to sleep.

"Yeah, Scott he is asleep." Jeff looked back at his youngest and observed that he was no longer restless. He was sleeping peacefully, much like how he was earlier in the afternoon.

Walking forward, Jeff grabbed the fallen blanket around Alan's waist and pulled it up over his arms. Before stepping away, Jeff gently ran his fingers through Alan's blonde hair. He gazed lovingly at his son, and felt blessed that Alan was alive. Based on Alan's description of the events of the fire, Alan and Fermat both should have died. They not only made it out mere minutes before the whole school collapsed, but they ran out on injured limbs. Leaning forward, Jeff placed a soft kiss on Alan's forehead, before stepping away and sitting on the chair a little ways away from Alan's bed.


	14. Brothers Must Stick Together

Jeff sat across from Alan in a rolling chair provided by the hospital; Alan had fallen asleep after explaining his nightmare. A couple stray tears leaked from Jeff's eyes, which he was quick to wipe away. It just didn't seem real that even in his sleep, Alan couldn't escape the fire and the horrors that dwelled within. Alan was so vulnerable right now, and all Jeff and his sons could do for the youngest Tracy was be there to provide a shoulder to cry on and offer words of comfort and encouragement.

Even when he was asleep, tears continued to stream from Alan's eyes. Jeff watched him with a careful eye. He didn't want to leave Alan at least until he had awoken from his slumber. It might scare the boy if he was forced to awaken alone. That was after all one of Alan's biggest fears. Jeff at one time overheard a thirteen year old Alan telling that to Tin-Tin and Fermat whilst they sat on the balcony of Alan's bedroom. It was after a rescue, and it had been a close call for Gordon and Scott. Tin-Tin and Fermat sat up late in the night talking to Alan reassuring him that his two brothers would be alright.

At the time though, Alan had expressed that he didn't like being alone. He had brought up a time back when he was eleven and had awoken during a rescue. '_Thunder from a tropical storm had awoken him, and being a younger boy with a phobia of thunder had led him to go off in search for his brothers or dad. Alan had soon become disoriented when the storm caused the power to go out, and Alan who had forgotten of his dad's office having a generator had frozen in fear. That had been how they had found Alan several hours later when they were able to return to the island, having been grounded because of the storm's wind velocity._

_Gordon, who was at home at the time running command and control with Brains, was unable to leave his post to comfort his little brother and ran around in a panic when he had returned to their room after the arrival of their dad and brothers to find Alan's bed empty and Alan MIA. Scott, Virgil and Jeff helped in the search to locate Alan and found the boy hiding, unable to move because of his petrifying fear of thunder._

_Alan had been a quivering ball curled up on the floor in the living room next to the couch when they got home. It had taken being cradled in Jeff's lap with Virgil humming and Scott and Gordon murmuring to the terrified boy to bring him out of his petrified state. They had contacted John up on T5 and he talked to Alan offering words of comfort to his terrified baby brother. It had taken reassurance from the entire family to get Alan to go back to sleep, but he continued to cry in his sleep, which prompted Gordon who shared a room with the boy to crawl into bed beside him and cradle him silencing his cries until the break of dawn where Alan awoke to a clear blue sky.'_

Shaking his head, Jeff focused on what his oldest son was saying. Scott had been trying to gather his dad's attention for a little more than a minute, and he could see that his dad was lost in his thoughts.

"I'm sorry Scott, what were you saying?" Jeff broke away from memory lane and refocused his attention on what Scott had been saying.

"I was asking if you wanted me to go get Dr. Andreessen." Scott sounded puzzled, I guess by the fact that I had drifted off in my thoughts.

"No, not right now. I want to allow Alan to sleep a while longer. He just looks so tired; I don't want him woken up." Jeff gazed back over at Alan and felt his mood uplift a little when Alan had stopped crying and his frown had been replaced with a small smile. Perhaps Lucy was working some magic from her place in Heaven to allow Alan to heal. How Jeff hoped it was so, he couldn't bear to see his baby so broken.

"Okay, well is there anything you want to tell us?" Scott watched his dad with an exasperated look on his face. He heard Alan mention a 'he' in his earlier ranting. However the boy must have realized his mistake, because he immediately calmed himself, before apologizing for his outburst and changing the subject.

"What are you talking about Scott?" Jeff truly seemed puzzled. He didn't know what Scott was referring to.

"Did Alan say anything to you about who the 'he' was earlier?" Gordon had caught the same verbal slip up when Alan had been cross about needing skin grafts.

Jeff closed his eyes. He had hoped to have more time before he would have to say anything to his other sons about what Alan had experienced prior to the fire occurring. Steeling himself against his better judgment, Jeff opened his eyes with his decision.

"He did. But I am not at liberty to say anything as of yet. There are some things I want to take a look at and people I need to talk to in order to confirm what Alan told me." Jeff paused. He hated hiding what happened to Alan from his other sons, but first off they were in a hospital. Jeff couldn't have Scott raising his voice or storming out in search of the person responsible for this whole ordeal. Second, Jeff wanted to see if Alan's soon to be ex-headmaster had a copy of the note between Alan and this Robert fellow. Third, Jeff had some choice words for Alan's headmaster about why he hadn't taken Alan seriously when he reported having been beaten up. '_Trust me, heads will roll if I find out that this Robert fellow made good on his death threats to my son, especially if it could have been prevented. Nobody got off scot free when they harmed one of his sons…nobody!'_

Jeff struggled to maintain his composure. He had to quit thinking of the bullying his son endured, and focus on his son and his recovery. That was his first priority. He redirected his gaze at his youngest for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day and felt the anger and frustration about what Alan confided in him roll off him. It wouldn't do to be angry right now. He would save his anger for the inevitable phone call and reprimanding that the headmaster would be receiving.

"All right, but don't expect that I won't be asking about this at a later time. I want to know what Alan meant, and I will find out. He's my baby brother and brothers watch each other's back." Scott spoke lowly into the phone. Jeff knew that Scott must have an inkling, but that is all he hoped it was for the time being. Jeff would call the temporary relocation of the Wharton's staff to question the headmaster after Alan had awoken. He wasn't leaving right now.

"I know Scott. I will tell you boys about it when I have all my ducks in a row, but now is not the time." Jeff looked out the window into the hall and noticed the nearly identical frowns present on all of his older sons' faces. No doubt all of them had heard Alan's slip of the tongue, and would undoubtedly hound him about it until he told them everything. "Listen, why don't you boys head down to the cafeteria and get lunch? I know it is a late lunch, but we all had a fairly early breakfast this morning. There is really no point in just standing here watching Alan sleep. I will stay until he wakes up, and I'll call again so you guys can tell him good night. What do you say?"

Jeff heard a faint growl, and looked out into the hall and noticed Gordon staring at his stomach. He couldn't help but laugh, his second youngest always seemed to be hungry. Chuckling, he noticed Gordon begin to blush. Soon Virgil, John and eventually Scott began laughing at Gordon's constant need of food.

"Okay dad. I suppose we had better go feed the bottomless pit, before he decides to eat his hat. Do you want us to get you anything?" Jeff was thankful that Scott let the topic of Alan's slip up slide. He shook his head at his son, knowing he could see his response.

"No, I'll get something later. Just go get something to eat and hang out for a while. We'll be fine for the time being." Jeff looked out into the hall and saw a small smile present on Scott's face.

"Okay dad. Well keep us updated if there are any changes in Alan…good or bad, okay?" Scott tilted his head to the side and looked adoringly at his slumbering baby brother as he spoke. It was obvious to Jeff that regardless of the age differences all his sons where quite close to one another, especially the oldest to the youngest.

"Will do Scooter, now go on. I think Gordon's stomach is beginning to think his throat has been cut." Jeff grimaced at his reference to how hungry Gordon undoubtedly was, but smiled when he heard Gordon's reply.

"You got that right! I am starving to death over here!" Gordon placed both hands over his stomach, and pouted to show his older brothers and dad how hungry he was. To Gordon's chagrin, his stomach decided to agree and growl loudly, reigniting his older brother's laughter.

"Let's go fish-feet, talk to you later dad." Scott waved at his dad, before grabbing Gordon in a headlock and dragging him away from the viewing window of Alan's room. Jeff disconnected the call, and waved at John and Virgil as they followed Scott and Gordon to the cafeteria.

The moment that all of his older sons where out of sight. Jeff leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily pinching the bridge of his nose. How was he going to explain Alan and the death threats to his other sons without making them mad or hurting their feelings? He didn't want to make Alan's brothers mad at him, and would try to prevent it if he could help it. There had to be another reason Alan hadn't said anything any sooner. He would get to the bottom of it, if it was the last thing he did.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Scott led his three younger brothers down the hallway towards the elevator that would take them to the cafeteria. Gordon wasn't the only one who was hungry. Scott had hardly touched his breakfast that morning, because he had been anxious to see Alan. After all it wasn't every day that your youngest sibling was admitted to the hospital with extensive burns to a little over forty-five percent of his body.

Scott sighed. He had a feeling deep in his gut that he wasn't being told the whole story and that theory was confirmed by his dad saying that he would talk after he, as his dad put it 'got his ducks in a row'. How Scott hated waiting. Glancing over his shoulder, Scott noticed Gordon staring pitifully at his feet as he walked. Scott's big brother sense started tingling, and he waited for the elevator doors to close before talking to his brothers.

"What's wrong Gordo?" Scott pressed the button that would take them eight floors down to the basement where the cafeteria was located. Scott noticed Virgil and John gazing intently at their copper headed brother.

"Nothing." Gordon heaved a sigh, but continued staring at his sneaker clad feet. Scott draped an arm over Gordon's shoulder, bringing him close and giving him a one armed hug.

"You are staring off into space and normally John does that. I know you Gords, now tell me. What's the matter?" Scott shook Gordon slightly, and his response was to lay his head on Scott's shoulder.

"I'm scared." Gordon echoed the words spoken by Alan before he explained the nightmare he'd had the night prior. Scott reached up with his free hand and ruffled Gordon's hair gently.

"What are you scared of? That Alan won't recover from his burns?" Scott tossed out a possible scenario to his second youngest brother. A shake of the head had Scott thinking of another outcome and hoped that Gordon wasn't alluding to Alan not surviving.

"I'm scared for him. The pain he is in. He has never been one to handle pain well, and I am afraid of what the pain may do to him. How it might change him. How this whole nightmare might change him. I don't want to lose him to the pain. I don't want to lose our Alan, my Alan. I don't want to lose my partner in crime, my other half." Gordon struggled with withholding his tears.

Scott, Virgil and John realized what Gordon was getting at. He was afraid of how Alan would be affected mentally. Would he be the same old Alan after he recovered, and if not how would he be different? He was already making an effort to maintain in his classes and get along with his peers. Granted he still lost control of his temper on occasions, but he was really making an effort to find methods of calming himself.

Would he be changed for the better, or for the worse, if at all? Secondly how would Fermat would be changed, if at all? Like Alan, the brothers viewed the young Hackenbacker as a little brother. Both boys were young and innocent, not knowing the occasional evils of the outside world. Having been raised on an island, both boys had developed a strong bond, much like one developed with blood siblings.

Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon especially hoped that with the two boys experiencing the pain together that they could be the other's pillar of support. Something that the elder brothers wished they could be a part of, but then also wished that neither boy had to go through this. It just didn't seem fair. How could two of the nicest, funniest boys in their island family have been hurt so badly?

"Well, if you are scared for him, then maybe you should tell him that. Let him know that you want to be there for him and remind him that it is okay to scream, lash out and cry…anything to make him feel better. Crack the occasional joke from time to time, if only to see that charming smile of his. Let him know how you feel, confide in him your feelings on the situation and let him just talk his fears and feelings out. That's really all we can do right now." John spoke up voicing his thoughts carefully.

"John's right Gordo, all we can do right now is to just be there for Alan and offer him a hand when he gets too close to the edge. We have to show him that we believe in him, and trust that he can get better." Virgil spoke softly as he placed a hand on Gordon's lower back and steered the younger male forward. The elevator had stopped and Gordon hadn't moved, for he was too caught up in his thoughts to notice the lack of movement.

"After all Gords, we brothers must stick together. Through thick and thin, no matter what. Right?" Scott looked at the younger brother still resting his head on his shoulder, before dipping his own head and resting it on the top of Gordon's head.

"Yeah, I just wish I could do more for him. I mean he is only fourteen, and he has already experienced so much more than any of us have experienced at his age. I mean, I know we rag on him for accidently blowing up the chemistry lab at his last high school, but it's all in jest. It's the same as us teasing Alan about the supposed migraines. We are all aware that it was his braces that gave him that bad headache, but still we continue to tease him." Gordon lifted his head off Scott's shoulder and redirected his gaze at the floor. Scott felt he understood the source of Gordon's somber mood.

"Is that what this is about, our teasing him earlier?" Scott looked at Gordon, and noticed the small nod.

"Yeah, I just can't help but feel bad about it now. I mean he is in the hospital recovering from these horrific burns and all we can do is laugh at him. I just feel like the worst brother in the world right now. I should have my ass kicked for teasing him…I mean he is in the hospital for God's sake! He never teased me when I was recovering from the hydrofoil accident, and this is how I repay him?" Gordon grabbed a fistful of his copper hair before clenching his eyes closed and gritting his teeth.

Virgil could see how upset Gordon was about their previous teasing. They hadn't meant anything by it; it had just been a way to relieve stress. Stress… Oh crap. That was Gordon's problem. He hadn't swum in over ninety-six hours. They had received the call about Wharton's being on fire just after they had eaten breakfast. Gordon normally swam an hour after breakfast, and he hadn't done it because of the rescue. Then the entire family had spent the past three days at the hospital waiting to see Alan and Fermat and find out how badly they were injured.

"Hey Gords, what do you say after lunch you and I return to the hotel for a couple hours? Dad's right, there is no point in watching Alan sleep. We could head back and just relax for a couple hours before we meet up with dad and the guys for dinner." Scott looked over top of Gordon's head at Virgil with a confused stare. Virgil looked at Gordon to make sure he wasn't watching him before looking at Scott and holding his breath and pinching his nose to signify swimming to Scott. Scott mouthed 'oh' to Virgil before taking the proverbial bait.

"Yeah Gordo, you and Virge could head back and rest a while. John and I will come back in another hour or so and we could hang out then, so how about it?" Scott glanced at Virgil to see his approving smile.

"I guess. I don't really see a point, but I'll go." Gordon's halfhearted response made Scott want to slap his younger brother up the side of the head. Normally Gordon couldn't be shut up, but when the other brothers expect him to be bouncing off the walls; here he is a sad, morose puppy. Scott looked up when he noticed where they were.

John opened a pair of doors and clinking silverware was heard as the four brothers entered the cafeteria. Virgil grabbed a tray and placed it in Gordon's hands before grabbing two others and passing them off to his older brothers. Slipping into line, Virgil decided to step into the role of big brother and helped Gordon pick out some food, primarily stuff that he knew the redhead would eat even if he was depressed.

"Let's go find a seat Gords. Hmm? What do you say about that window seat over in the far corner?" Virgil pointed over to the table in particular, before draping an arm over Gordon's slumped shoulders and dragging the younger brother to the table in question.

"What is up with Gordon? I think the last time I saw him like this was just after the hydrofoil incident when the doctors told him he would never walk again." John watched his two younger brothers walk away with a frown and decided to ask his older brother about whether or not he knew what it was eating Gordon.

"Virgil seems to think it's because Gordon hasn't been able to swim. I mean the last time he swam was…damn…ninety-six hours ago. No wonder he is so down. Anyway, that is why Virgil suggested he and Gordon go back to the hotel after lunch. I think Virge is going to try to drag Gordon to the pool downstairs. And if he won't swim, I think you and I will be able to tag team him later and throw him in." Scott watched Gordon and Virgil carefully.

"Well that's understandable. I know Gordon deals with his stress by swimming, but after not swimming in the past four days it is bound to make any person noticeably depressed. If he won't swim, count me in on throwing him in ourselves." John smirked at his older brother, mischief visible in his blue eyes. Seeing John's blue eyes, it reminded Scott of what Alan had said while he was fuming. Looking directly at John, Scott spoke up.

"John, did you catch what Alan said when he was telling us about needing skin grafts?" Scott was purposefully vague to see if John said anything. John caught on quite quickly.

"You mean about hoping 'he' wasn't the cause?" John looked directly at his older brother, and in the back of his mind knew that this was what Scott was referencing.

"Yeah, what do you think he meant by that?" Scott and John walked over to the table Virgil and Gordon were seated at. Neither brother noticed that Virgil and Gordon had picked up on what the two oldest brothers were discussing.

"I have no idea. My best guess is that maybe he heard rumor of a student or faculty member threatening to do this. Either that or Alan has suspicions that one of the more disruptive students caused the blaze…why I don't know. Now I know I am just speculating, but from past conversations with Alan, he was not shy about telling me that there were a number of students that made their hate for the school known, very well known in fact." John paled as he remembered those past conversations with his baby brother. Those hadn't been pleasant. Not pleasant at all.

"What do you mean Johnny?" Gordon looked over at his older brother, concern written all over his face. Gordon's question caused John to face-palm himself.

"Well, I kind of promised not to say anything." John looked down at his lap, realizing his mistake of mentioning what Alan had made him swear not to mention.

"Well, you can't expect us to forget this. Spill, John." Scott looked pointedly at John, trying to relay how important this information was.

"Well…Alan told me that a few students who hung out in a group…not a group…a gang…had made statements about hating Wharton's so much that if it caught fire they would gladly dance around the flames rejoicing in its demise. He had been frightened by what they had said, and called me to let me know who would undoubtedly be at fault should the school magically catch fire. But that had been last spring. Alan reassured me that a majority of those students didn't return to Wharton's this September." John rubbed his forehead, feeling an oncoming headache.

"Why did he make you swear not to say anything?" Virgil was quivering slightly…had this been a vital clue in the beginning of an investigation behind the fire at Wharton's?

"He made me swear not to say anything because he was finally getting settled in to life at Wharton's and he was making friends. He didn't want to be taken from Wharton's and moved to another new school because of empty threats. However I made him promise that should more comments like those be made that I be told immediately and I would inform dad on the matter. He promised, but said nothing else had been said this quarter. Then here we are three months later and Wharton's is burned to the ground and we almost lost Alan and Fermat." John pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to fight off the oncoming headache. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. He hadn't slept well the night prior, only just falling asleep early in the morning then being awakened three hours later.

"Well, not really anything we can do right now. Dad said he would tell us what Alan meant by what he said after he 'got his ducks in a row'. So I don't think it would do any harm in withholding this information until dad is able to give us details on the investigation behind the cause of the fire." Scott looked around the table to see everyone nodding in agreement, but took notice of how John looked pale. "John, why don't you go back to the hotel with Virge and Gords, you look exhausted."

John shook his head; he was determined to stay at the hospital with his oldest and youngest brothers. His youngest brother needed him right now. Scott noticed John being stubborn, but also noticed the convenient ducking of his head to hide his yawn. Scott shook his head in amusement. Sometimes his younger brothers were too stubborn for their own good.

"Johnny, you look like you're about to fall asleep in your tomato soup. Trust me it won't hurt my feelings if you go back to the hotel for an hour or two. Just go back and lay down, the last thing any of us need is to have another brother admitted to the hospital." John shook his head again and Scott blew out an exasperated sigh. "If you don't go after lunch I will sit on you, tie you up and drag you there myself. Then I will tie you to the bed until you lie down and take a nap." Scott crossed his arms to show he was not making an empty threat. He was quite serious.

"You wouldn't!" John noticed the determined look on his big brother's face and struggled to hide another yawn.

"Wanna try me? I am sure I could borrow some bed restraints from the emergency department if necessary." Scott had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. The younger brothers knew he was definitely being serious. After all, big brother knows best…right?

"All right. But I will have my phone on and you will call me with any updates on Al, regardless if I am asleep or not. Deal?" John stared back at his older brother conveying that he was being serious also.

"Deal little bro. Now hurry up and let's eat before our food gets cold. I for one am not too fond of cold tomato soup." Scott swirled his spoon around in his soup, before opting to devour his sandwich first.

"So then what are you going to do while we are gone then? Go back up and watch Alan sleep?" Virgil looked at Scott while he ate. Briefly he stared down at the New England clam chowder he ordered and grimaced. He should have gone for the tomato soup like his brothers, it at least smelled delectable.

"Yeah, maybe even talk to Alan's doctor a little. I wanted to find out what his most serious burns were and I can vacantly recall that the doctor didn't go into too much detail. Then Alan only mentioned his feet this afternoon. I know his burns must be pretty bad for him to not want to talk about them." Scott rested his head on the heel of his hand. He could tell Alan hadn't been entirely truthful, and Scott figured it was because his burns were so…horrendous that he couldn't talk about it yet.

"Okay, well. Will you tell us everything the doctor tells you about Alan's burns? If I can, I would like to avoid pushing Alan to talk about it until he volunteers." Virgil draped an arm over Gordon's shoulder. He watched Gordon tuck into his meal, and smiled. Gordon couldn't ignore his hunger, never has been able to.

"Yeah I will, if the doctor will tell me about Alan's injuries." Scott smiled as well when he noticed Gordon finally digging into his meal.

"Why wouldn't he tell you about Al's injuries? You are his brother, so it wouldn't be breaking HIPAA restrictions." Scott rolled his eyes while thinking '_Of course Virgil would know about HIPAA restrictions, what with him being a medic and all that_.'

"I don't know. But it doesn't really matter does it? Either he will or he won't tell me." Scott paused to check the time and his eyes widened slightly. They had already been in the cafeteria for a little over an hour. Glancing around, Scott noticed they were the only ones still there. "But regardless of that I think it is high time that you and the guys go back to the hotel. I'll call if there is any change in Al or Fermat."

Virgil stood up and took Gordon's empty tray as well as John's. Scott stood up with his own tray and motioned for Virgil to walk ahead of him. John and Gordon remained sitting. Glancing over his shoulder Scott took notice of how tired John appeared. It seemed like his other blonde brother was having trouble sleeping and he hoped that a nap would perk him up.

"Hey Virge, if it's not too much to ask, could you keep an eye on John? He doesn't seem to be himself right now." Scott carefully regarded his younger blonde brother again before gazing at Virgil; he took notice of Virgil appearing tired too.

"Well, if you had slept in the same bed with him like I did last night, you would know he spent most of the night tossing and turning. I was aware that dad was tossing and turning as well. But you for that matter seemed to sleep quite peacefully." Virgil smiled slightly, glad to know at least one brother got some sleep.

"Yeah, I slept…but it was not natural sleep. I had a headache and I took a couple Tylenol before going to bed. Coffee works wonders for keeping you awake, but not for three days." Scott gave Virgil a sheepish grin when the young medic glared at him. Virgil had slept off and on while they were in the waiting room, but was unaware that Scott had stayed awake for three days straight.

"If I find out you are pulling all-nighters again, you can bet that I will force feed you a sedative. That's not healthy." Virgil reprimanded Scott lightly.

"I know, but come on can you really blame me? I mean, we had just brought Al and Ferm in for medical treatment and hadn't heard a word about whether they were okay or not. I was afraid that if I slept, that the next time I woke up, it would be to dreadful news." Scott ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed.

"I know Scooter. But please just don't do it again. Like you said earlier, we don't need another brother admitted to the hospital." Virgil set down his, Gordon, and John's tray before lightly punching Scott's arm, and after he set down his tray as well, Scott wrapped Virgil into a headlock, before dragging him back over to the table.

"Now off with you guys. I'll be sure to keep you all updated." Turning to John, Scott placed his finer under his chin lifting his head and forcing him to make eye contact. "And you John go to sleep. You look exhausted." John nodded before standing and giving his older brother a one armed hug before following Gordon and Virgil from the cafeteria.

Scott hung around before buying a bottle of water and heading back upstairs. _Might as well go talk to the doctor to see how long Alan was expected to be in the hospital and what his treatment options were._ Entering the elevator, Scott leaned back against the wall, waiting for it to take him back up to the burn unit floor. It wasn't even four in the afternoon yet and already he was exhausted. The emotional roller-coaster was beginning to run him ragged. Unfortunately the ride was far from over.


	15. Cryptic Sleep Ramblings

Stepping outside the hospital, Virgil shielded his eyes from the sunlight with his hand. Virgil shivered slightly. It had snowed more since they had arrived at the hospital, and Virgil groaned. Earlier it had been a brilliant idea to walk from the car park rather than park near the meters on the street corner, but now the middle son was kicking himself. It was cold outside, and after being in the even tempered hospital for more than a few hours, Virgil was quick to get back to someplace warm. Looking behind him, Virgil noticed Gordon and John both shivering.

"Do you two want to wait in the lobby? I can walk the block and a half to the car park and get the rental to come pick you guys up. There is no sense in all three of us freezing." Virgil offered his gloves to John who was cupping his hands in front of his mouth and blowing on his hands in an attempt to warm them up.

"No thanks Virge. The cold air will just serve to wake me up a little. It won't kill me to walk in the snow; God knows I used to practically live in it when it did snow in Kansas." John shook his head refusing Virgil's offered gloves, opting to hide his hands in his coat pockets. "But thanks for the offer to bring the car round."

"No problem, how about you Gordo?" Virgil looked at Gordon and couldn't help but to frown when he saw his water loving brother shivering. Gordon zipped up his coat and pulled his North Face beanie over his copper hair. He looked over at Virgil and John before giving them a small smile.

"No thanks Virge. I'll be fine when we start walking; it's just kind of shocking to be out here. I mean it was comfortable in the hospital. Personally I can't wait until we get back to the hotel." Gordon pulled his gloves on and followed Virgil. Gordon smiled a mischievous smile upon noticing John nodding out and maintaining a constant walking speed…he quickly poked John in the side to get his attention.

"What Gordo?" John bit back a yawn when he questioned his little brother.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Gordon looked at John with concerned auburn eyes, and raised an eyebrow when John redirected his gaze at his feet.

"Um…not exactly." John's blonde eyebrows knit together as he recalled just why it was that he was unable to sleep comfortably the night prior.

"What's up John? Do you want to talk about it?" Gordon knew John would talk eventually, but with him being the quiet thoughtful brother, he had a tendency to bury his feelings.

"I just couldn't sleep. It's nothing. Really." John hoped Gordon would drop the subject, but knew he would have to talk about it eventually.

"John…Johnny, please will you talk to Virge and I? We can't help you, if you won't let us." Gordon wrapped an arm around John's waist as he walked beside his older brother. John decided to just say what was bothering him. He couldn't exactly dole out advice to his baby brother and not follow it himself.

"All right…every time I closed my eyes I saw a repeat of the images that I saw through Fermat's watch and I could remember the conversation Fermat and I had." John looked away from Gordon, and noticed the pitying glance from Virgil. "Every time I closed my eyes I was brought back into the memory and I could even hear the roar of the flames."

"Oh God, I'm sorry John, I had no idea. I guess Alan's not the only one plagued by the hellish memories of the other night." Virgil gazed at his feet as well. He too had had nightmares based on what he had seen at the fire. Untying the cloth from Fermat's face and running beside Scott carrying their two brothers. Fermat…that boy was just as brave as Alan. Regardless of their age, they took a chance and managed to narrowly escape their prison within the flames.

Virgil shook his head to clear the memory of what he too had seen at the fire from his mind. He carefully walked and watched John. The older blonde seemed to be lost in his thoughts. No doubt remembering what he had seen from his place in space. Virgil fell back so he was walking in sync with John and Gordon. He draped an arm over John's shoulder, pulling him in for a one-armed hug.

"Well if you don't have a problem with it, how about when we get back to the hotel we get you some chamomile tea and try to get you to drift off to sleep? After all, we can't have you falling asleep during dinner this evening now can we big brother? Dad would no doubt want to wring our necks for not making you sleep." Virgil looked at John and noticed the small smile. John was a sucker for hot tea before he began drinking coffee. Now John relied on hot tea to help relax him enough to sleep, that and his favorite comfort food…chocolate.

"Sure, that might be just the trick." John didn't ask what Virgil's plans were because he was already aware of Virgil's plan to drag Gordon down to the pool. All he knew was that sleep was beginning to sound like a beautiful thing at the moment.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Jeff sat next to Alan's bed and watched the slumbering boy carefully. Alan had so far not cried out in his sleep at all. Looking at Alan's face he could see that Alan's eyes were moving rapidly behind his eyelids. He was dreaming, and hopefully judging on his lack of distress…was having pleasant dreams. Noticing movement outside the viewing window, Jeff looked out to see Scott leaning against the wall alone. Waving at his eldest son, Jeff offered a small smile to Scott. Catching his attention, Scott smiled before waving back. Looking away from Scott, Jeff looked back at Alan and noticed the pillow placed under Alan's broken arm was beginning to slip off the bed, and he leaned forward and carefully lifted Alan's arm and readjusted the pillow. Alan's head tilted and he began muttering.

'What…you…doin'…Gord…' Jeff listened to what Alan was mumbling about and smiled when he heard Alan chuckle in his sleep. He was dreaming of something Gordon had said or done, judging on what he had just mumbled. Jeff decided to have a little fun since Alan would be none the wiser to Jeff talking to him.

"Who's Gordon planning to prank this time Alan?" Jeff looked outside the viewing window and called Scott's cell phone. He wanted him to hear what Alan was mumbling about. Scott answered on the third ring and before he could speak, Jeff spoke up. "Scott, don't say anything if you can help it. Just listen to Alan right now. I am putting you on speaker phone again."

'Joh…nny…' Alan continued to mumble and Jeff looked at Scott before winking. Turning back to Alan he leaned close to Alan before asking another question.

"What's Gordon planning to do to John?" Jeff heard Scott sputter, as he tried to conceal his laughter…catching on to why Jeff had called.

'Melt…choc…olate…Joh…nny…won'…be…hap…py' Alan continued speaking in his sleep, and both Jeff and Scott found amusement in Alan's musings.

"When were you last pranked by Gordo?" Scott whispered through the phone, not wanting to awaken Alan.

'Hor…se…ra…d…ish' Jeff bit his lip to keep from laughing at Alan's answer, looking out the window Jeff noticed a true smile on Scott's face. However not being able to come up with anything more to question Alan on, whilst he was sleep-talking…Jeff settled on talking quietly to Scott. The boy continued mumbling indistinguishable things.

"So Scott, where are your brothers? Did you lose them on the way back from the cafeteria?" Jeff saw Scott shake his head no.

"No, I sent them back to the hotel. John didn't get as much sleep as he would have liked last night and was practically falling asleep in his soup. Virgil on the other hand noticed Gordon seemed a bit stressed so he was going to try to get him to go swimming." I told them I would be fine chatting with you and watching Alan sleep. Dr. Andreessen went off duty an hour ago for his lunch break and Dr. McNulty took over his shift." Jeff nodded to signify that he understood.

"Okay, thanks for the update Scott. By the way how are you holding up? I realize I haven't really been paying attention to you or your brothers." Jeff looked at Scott to try to read his facial expressions.

"I'm holding up okay, just worried about Alan. Don't worry about not paying attention to any of us recently. Your attention has been fixated on something more important." Scott reassured his dad.

"I know…but I still feel bad. I am your dad too, not just Alan's. Just because he is hurt, doesn't mean you boys deserve any less attention." Jeff apologized to his oldest son, and for ten minutes neither could really think of anything to say. They just continued listening to Alan muttering in his sleep.

"Do you think he is aware that he talks in his sleep?" Scott stood close to the viewing window and watched Alan's mouth move in time with what he was hearing through the phone.

"I doubt it. If he does know about it, he does a good job of hiding it. In all the years of checking on you boys in the night, I don't think I have ever heard any of you talk in your sleep. Occasionally I have heard Virgil humming or Gordon chuckling, but never any of you boys talking. This would probably be a first." Jeff reached out with his free had and brushed Alan's sweat moistened bangs from his forehead. Jeff also took notice that the bandages on Alan's forehead appeared damp as well. Alan had been running a fever earlier, but Dr. Andreessen had assured him it was simply Alan's body coping with the traumatic injuries.

"How's he been sleeping dad? Is he still doing okay?" Scott watched his dad for a moment, before seeing his dad pick up a damp cloth and running it lightly over Alan's red-tinged cheeks.

"He's been sleeping okay. Hasn't woken up or cried since he fell asleep earlier. Not long after you boys left though, I paged Dr. Andreessen down though because Alan was warm and I wanted to make sure he wasn't coming down with anything." Jeff watched Alan carefully as he gently wiped the cool cloth across Alan's cheeks.

"Is he sick?" Scott asked a hint of alarm present in his voice.

"No, he has a fever…but Dr. Andreessen assured me it is because of Alan's injuries. Don't worry; it's a low grade fever, nothing to be concerned over." Setting the cloth aside, Jeff gently ran his gloved fingers through Alan's blonde hair, eliciting a soft sigh form the slumbering boy. Jeff smiled at the reaction.

"Okay, well…I promised to keep the guys updated on any changes Alan had. This will just be first on the list. Do you know how high his fever is by chance?" Scott watched Alan and saw him flop his head to the other side, apparently experiencing an active dream, but not becoming alarmed.

"It was 100 degrees during the last temperature check. Dr. Andreessen wasn't worried. He said a raised temperature in burn patients is actually a good thing, because it is helping to draw the heat away from the major burns." Jeff noticed Alan flip his head much like how he had mere seconds earlier. The boy was beginning to appear distressed. Jeff leaned forward and gently shook Alan in an attempt to awaken the boy.

'Lea…ve…me…al…one' Jeff shook Alan a bit more forcefully. He was confused by who Alan was telling to 'leave him alone'.

"Wake up Alan. It's time to wake up." Jeff became almost frantic. Alan was continuing to talk in his sleep, and is distress was growing.

'Ro…bert…lea…ve…me…al…one' A frown became present on Alan's face as he said the name of his apparent bully.

"Dad, what's he talking about? Who's Robert?" Scott spoke up, standing directly in front of the window placing a single hand on the glass.

"Just listen closely to what your brother is saying." Jeff hated that Scott was about to find out what this Robert kid had done to his baby brother.

'Won…fair…n'…squ…are.' That was new. Jeff was unaware of what Alan was talking about. What was won fair and square? Jeff tried again to awaken Alan.

"Alan wake up son. Come on. Wakie wakie." Alan still didn't wake up. He furrowed his eyebrows, anger becoming present even in his sleep.

'Don'…to…uch..me…' Jeff heard Scott inhale sharply and he grimaced as he could almost sense his oldest sons rising ire.

"Dad, please tell me what's going on. What is he talking about?" Scott pressed his forehead against the glass, and watched his dad gently shake his brother, whilst he could hear his dad's attempts.

"Later! Alan come on wake up for dad. Please! Wake up! It's just another nightmare!" Jeff patted Alan's face and finally succeeded in waking Alan.

"Wha? Dad? What's going…on?" Alan interrupted himself with a jaw cracking yawn.

"You were having another nightmare son." Jeff ran his fingers through Alan's hair again. Alan leaned into his touch.

"Oh, okay." Alan yawned again, but seemed to be less tired as he had been earlier.

"Dad, Dr. McNulty is coming with Dr. Andreessen." Scott warned Jeff, and Alan groaned.

"How unlucky am I?" Jeff looked at Alan with a puzzled gaze.

"What do you mean Alan?" Jeff gently scratched the nape of Alan's neck.

"What time is it dad?" Alan gazed at his lap with a big frown on his face. Jeff looked at his watch to see it was about Four forty-five in the afternoon.

"It's 4:45 Alan, why do you ask?" Jeff looked out the window and watched him shrug.

"I'll give you a clue, its four words. Morphine and dressing changes." Right after Alan finished speaking, a semi-cheerful voice called out from behind the other side of the partially open curtain.

"Yes it is that time again, but I increased your dosage of morphine so you won't feel as much pain as you did last time." Dr. Andreessen poked his head in around the edge of the curtain. "I'm sorry did I wake you up?"

"No, dad woke me." Alan reclined his head back against his pillows. Dr. Andreessen turned to Jeff and began talking.

"Okay, well I know that this is probably the last thing you want right now, but I am going to have to ask you to step out of the room for an hour and a half. We need to change Alan's dressings and we can't have his wounds exposed to any pathogens. You can come back in after we have changed Alan's dressings, before visiting hours close." Jeff looked over at Alan and frowned. He didn't want to leave his son alone for any length of time right now.

"It's okay dad. I will be fine. Please go get yourself some coffee." Alan gave his dad a brave smile, before looking at his blanketed lap. Raising his eyes back up to his dad's face, he saw his dad about to object, but Alan cut him off before Jeff could say anything. "Please dad. Do it for me. I really don't want you to have to see me get my dressings changed. Really, I'll be fine." Jeff ruffled Alan's hair before stepping back from the bed.

"Okay Alan. I'll do that. But I will be back when you are done. You got that?" Jeff offered his youngest his own brave smile, if only to reassure the boy that he would be back.

"Jeff, when you step out you can take the scrubs off. You'll need to scrub in again later though." Dr. Andreessen pulled out a syringe before holding it up to the light to check the dosage. Turning slightly, he removed the cap and inserts the medicine into Alan's IV line. Jeff watched the start of the powerful narcotic drip into the plastic tubing attached to Alan's left elbow, and waved to Alan.

"Love you Alan, see you soon." Jeff watched Dr. McNulty write down Alan's vitals, before turning away and walking towards the door.

"Love you too Dad. Please give Scott and the guys a hug for me, since I can't give it to them myself." Alan gave a small smile as he peered around Dr. Andreessen's shoulder and spotted Scott looking in the viewing window. Lifting his left hand, Alan waved gently before lowering his hand back to the bed.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Watching the door shut, and Scott hug Jeff out in the hall, Alan turned to the two doctors attending to his wounds. He spotted Dr. McNulty pouring a pitcher of lukewarm sterilized water into a basin and antibiotic ointment. Then he spotted the bandages and prayed the medicine would be strong enough this time around to completely mask the pain of having his wounds scrubbed at.

"Okay, well we'll wait for five more minutes to make sure the morphine is in your system, before we begin un-wrapping your burns. Is there anything you want to talk about before we begin or need us to do to make you more comfortable?" Dr. Andreessen looked over at his young patient, and watched him carefully.

"Could you close the curtain please? I would really rather not have anybody in the hall see me as naked as the day I was born." Alan blushed, he felt ashamed that he even had to be seen in no clothing by these two doctors. He made an exception when it was Brains or Virgil, but that was only when he was badly injured and even then he got to keep at least an article of clothing on, aside from that he preferred it if nobody could see him clothes less.

"Sure thing Alan. Anything else we can do for you?" Dr. Andreessen stood up and grabbed the curtain before pulling it closed, sealing off the view Jeff and Scott had of Alan. Turning and perching on the edge of the bed, Dr. Andreessen gazed at his watch before sticking Alan in the shoulder with a paper clip without his knowledge.

He wanted to see if Alan reacted. If he did react, then they would wait a few more minutes before beginning the dressing change, if however he didn't react, then they could proceed and complete Alan's dressing change before the medicine would begin to wear off. Not seeing Alan flinch, the doctor figured that he and Dr. McNulty could begin unwrapping the bandages. Helping Alan sit up, so the bandages on his back could be changed first, Dr. Andreessen took notice of Alan pinching his eyes closed, and biting his lip.

"Are you in any pain Alan?" Dr. Andreessen watched Alan carefully open one eye, and look at him.

"No, but please be gentle." Alan whispered. He knew that even with the morphine, he would still be able to feel some pain, and was already dreading the feeling of having his burns scrubbed at with sterilized water and a rough clothe. It may be necessary to try to remove as much burned skin as possible, but couldn't they just knock him out? Why did they need him awake to change his dressings?

Dr. Andreessen sat beside Alan on the bed, and proceeded to reach around and unroll the used bandages from Alan's back and chest. Alan spared a glance at his chest and grimaced when he saw the bright red skin and blisters. It looked like really bad sunburn on his chest, but he realized his back was probably worse for wear, as he actually had fire on the back of his shirt when he and Fermat were rescued.

Alan hissed through his teeth when the damp rough clothe was run over his back, between his shoulder blades. He had warned his dad earlier about patting him on the back there. That and his lower back was where the worst burns on his torso were at. Granted he couldn't see them, but he knew they were bad judging on how bad they hurt when he tried sleeping.

"Hold still Alan. I am almost done here, then I will move on to your arms and hands." Dr. Andreessen continued running the cloth over Alan's back. Alan winced when the smallest amount of pressure the doctor had to use was enough to bring tears to Alan's eyes. The boy looked at the clock in his room and noticed ten minutes had already passed since Dr. Andreessen and Dr. McNulty began changing his dressings.

Dr. Andreessen sat in silence as he worked on scrubbing Alan's back. The boy's back was easily a second degree burn reaching within the dermis. There was quite a bit of swelling and blistering around the site of the burns. Turning to Dr. McNulty, Dr. Andreessen soon began speaking to his co-worker.

"Sam, please make note of the burns on Alan's back. He has blisters that are normal in color. Infections do not seem to be present. As for the burn, it is in fact a second degree burn, and it appears to extend into his dermal layer of skin. This burn should be healed within the next two or three weeks, and I don't think he will need grafting." As Dr. Andreessen dictated the extent of Alan's burns, Alan struggled to maintain his composure. This was not the kind of stuff he wanted to listen to, but knew that it was for his own good as well.

Alan was vaguely aware of a coolness being spread on his back, that and a gentle pressure that seemed to ignite his back into more pain. Soon Dr. Andreessen leaned around the front of Alan and got him to lie back after having placed bandages on his back, preventing the burn ointment from being rubbed off. Dr. Andreessen sat quietly and inspected Alan's chest with a careful eye.

"Your chest looks pretty good Alan. This appears to be a milder form of second degree burn, but it should heal fairly quickly." Alan bit back a groan when the rough cloth was scrubbed across his tender chest, and he now wished he was able to hold somebody's hand…preferably his dad's hand or Scott's.

Redirecting his gaze to the ceiling, Alan focused primarily on counting ceiling tiles, anything to get his mind off the pain. Feeling a tickle on his chest, Alan tilted his head, before seeing Dr. McNulty help to hold a bandage in place to be secured. Alan sighed, that was two things down, but he still had another hour of this torture.

After getting Alan's torso rewrapped, Dr. Andreessen began un-wrapping Alan's left arm all the way down to his hand. Alan caught sight of his badly burnt hand and felt sick. Surely he would have some remarkable scarring on the palm of his hand. Alan couldn't help but to look away when Dr. Andreessen began scrubbing at his hand. The burn on his hand was horrific, and it felt just as bad being scoured. Alan bit his lip to keep from crying as he looked back over at his hand and watched as the doctor scrubbed the burn to remove some of the dead skin.

"I'm sorry Alan, I don't mean to cause you excruciating pain, but I must get the burnt skin off so it can begin to heal properly." Dr. Andreessen began to lightly rinse Alan's hand, and Alan looked back over to see bright red skin.

"Sam, please make note of the burns on Alan's left hand which are half and half. There are parts which are third degree, but then others which are second degree. We'll keep a close eye on this wound in particular to make sure he is able to properly move his fingers. I still want him to take part in hand strengthening exercises when we begin his physiotherapy. As for his forearm, I would say mostly second degree and as it travels up to the shoulder it fades to first degree." Dr. Andreessen continued dictating to Dr. McNulty and Alan watched as Dr. Andreessen took a tub from the equipment table beside Alan's bed. Glancing at the name on the tub, Alan ran it through his mind slowly…not able to properly pronounce it. '_Silver Sul-fa-die-a-zine?'_

"Dr. Andreessen? What is Silver Sul-fa-die-a-zine?" Alan was puzzled; he hoped Dr. Andreessen wouldn't explain it in medical lingo, but in English. Virgil and Brains were the only ones who were ever able to properly pronounce half of the medical equipment present on Tracy Island.

"Silver Sulfadiazine is also called Silvadene. It is a topical cream to prevent infection in serious burns. It can also help to soothe the irritated skin caused by the dressing changes. Why do you ask?" Dr. Andreessen paused before applying the cream, and watched Alan carefully.

"No reason, I was just curious. I have never heard of it, and we have a lot of medicines in the infirmary on the island. I just figured it wouldn't hurt to find out a little about the medicines that will be used in my treatment." Alan watched as Dr. Andreessen got a healthy handful of medicine before applying it generously to Alan's forearm and hand.

When it came time for the dressing changes on his right arm, Dr. McNulty took over checking the stitches. He wanted to make sure the bruising was at a minimum and that no infection was present at the surgical site. He nodded in approval, before stepping back and jotting down notes on the condition of Alan's left and right arm and how they are healing.

Alan didn't think he was ready to see his legs or feet just yet, so he closed his eyes and kept them closed while Dr. Andreessen scrubbed and applied another generous helping of Silvadene on Alan's lower extremities. He hardly felt the pressure from Dr. Andreessen scrubbing and it was mildly alarming to the boy.

When Dr. Andreessen began talking again, it confused Alan because he didn't understand medical terminology. He made a quiet vow to listen to Virgil more when he offered to coach Alan on medical terminology and medicinal names and what they are used for. Having a small idea of medical codes and what they meant might have proven helpful.

"Hmm, looks like we will need to get into contact with Dr. Meads, that plastic surgeon who also specializes in skin grafts. The burns to Alan's feet are wide ranging from third degree to full burns. However I think Dr. Meads may prefer performing full-thickness autologous grafts on both of Alan's feet. We will discuss in further detail with the specialist and his father to find out the best course of action. In the meantime, let's get his feet re-wrapped." Dr. Andreessen had long since finished scrubbing Alan's legs and feet and after applying more Silvadene, wrapped Alan's legs in at least three inches of white bandages.

"Looks like you are all done kiddo." Dr. McNulty glanced at the clock by the door before exclaiming. "And look five minutes ahead of schedule." Smiling at Alan, Dr. McNulty lifted Alan's blanket and draped it over Alan's tense form.

"We'll let you rest for about twenty minutes, and then we'll let your dad come back in to visit again. What does you say Alan?" Alan bit his lip and nodded. He just wanted to be left alone right now. The morphine was blowing his emotions out of control and he found that he wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry.

He really wanted his dad and Scott. Hell he wanted all of his brothers right now. He wanted Scott to ruffle his hair, and tell him everything would be okay; he wanted John to sling an arm over his shoulder before poking him in the ribs eliciting giggles from the younger blonde. He wanted Virgil to give him a hug and tease him like when they were children and he wanted Gordon to give him a light noogie and offer to plan pranks. But most of all he wanted his entire family present in his room with him right now.

Hearing the door shut with a click made Alan surrender to his emotions. Not usually one for showing weakness, he allowed himself to cry. He cried because of the pain that both he and Fermat were feeling. The distress his family was feeling because he had been too weak to escape the fire with few injuries.

All the emotions he felt made him break into sobs. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. Forget about being a mature fourteen year old boy, right now he was alone in the hospital room, the injuries he acquired from the fire made him feel like he had been to Hell and back two hundred times over and the one thing he wanted right now most of all was a hug, preferably one from his dad and each of his brothers. A hug sounded nice right now; regardless of the pain he was currently feeling.


	16. Questions Asked - Answers Given

Scott stood in the hallway and peered in through the viewing window and watched as the two doctors conversed with his dad and Alan. Having long since hung up the phone, he was unable to hear what it was Dr. McNulty and Andreessen were saying to his dad, but he observed his dad giving Alan an almost tentative refusal to leave. But looking at Alan, he could see his brother's mouth moving from beneath the mask, but couldn't really understand what was being said.

The eldest Tracy son watched on as his dad gestured towards the hallway, before turning and walking towards the door. Keeping his eyes firmly on his youngest brother, Scott almost missed his dad closing the door to the room. Together, Jeff and Scott stood side by side peering into the room. They both felt slight disappointment when they noticed Alan's mouth moving, before Dr. Andreessen nodded at the boy and closing the curtain. Turning to his dad, Scott felt it was safe to say that they wouldn't be seeing Alan for a while.

"So, you want to go grab a coffee, my treat." Scott watched as his dad continued to peer in through the viewing window, before he placed a sure, strong hand on his dad's shoulder…gathering his attention.

"What is it Scotty?" Jeff turned to look at his son, having not heard the question he had just asked.

"I was asking if you wanted to go grab a coffee. You look like you could sure go for something strong right now." Scott looked back into the room, and frowned when he noticed the curtain surrounding his baby brother's bed remained closed.

"Yeah, I suppose we should. Not much we can do for your brother while he is with the doctor for the next hour and a half." Jeff reached up and undid the ties, removing the mask around his face.

"Was wearing that garb a necessity to visit Al?" Scott followed his dad down the hall, before slipping in to a bathroom/locker room so Jeff could remove the scrubs and place them in a recycle bin. Pulling off his gloves, Jeff stared in the bathroom mirror. He faintly recalled seeing Scott leaning against the far wall peering out the bathroom window to the parking lot seven stories below.

"Yeah, it was. Brains and I both had to wear this stuff, because the burns on Alan and Fermat are still too new. The boys are still susceptible to infection if we aren't careful, and we had to be up to a doctor's health sanitary standards in order to visit them. If Dr. Andreessen ever allows you boys to visit your brother; you would have to get dressed out as well." Jeff continued to stare unseeingly into the mirror. He was trying to figure out how to broach the topic of Alan's bully and death threats to his eldest without sending Scott over the edge.

"I knew his burns were bad, but not that bad. He and Fermat came real close didn't they?" Scott furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. Locking his fingers together, he placed his hands behind his head. He just couldn't believe how close their family came to losing their two youngest members. "How…how did he tell you he needed skin grafts? I mean was the doctor present to confirm what he was saying was true?"

"Unfortunately yes, they came too close for comfort. No, the doctor wasn't present, but I asked the doctor to confirm what Alan was saying when you boys went to get lunch. As for Alan telling me, he just looked me straight in the eye before blurting it out. When Alan first told me about him needing grafts on his feet, I seriously thought he was pulling my leg. But when he began crying I knew he was serious. I accidently touched one of his feet earlier, not thinking about them being badly burnt, and Alan didn't flinch." Jeff looked away from the mirror, not liking that he was seeing a repeat of the memories from the last three days playing in his head.

"God, can't Alan ever catch a break?" Scott looked over at his dad and noted his dad was fiddling with the hospital bracelet he had been given upon arrival to the hospital, with Alan's room number and relationship to patient printed on it. Scott and his brothers all had to wear one as well. It was a way to allow them past security, since some of the paparazzi had discovered Alan was a patient at this hospital.

"No, I suppose not. I wish he could though. It just doesn't seem fair." Jeff straightened up, before motioning to Scott for them to head out into the hall. "So is the coffee down in the cafeteria any good?" Jeff didn't really want to leave the hospital if he could help it, but sighed when Scott shook his head.

"No, the cafeteria actually quit serving coffee at around two. I would suggest the coffee shop just around the corner. Virgil drug me out there when we were waiting on word for Alan about a day or two ago. The stuff they serve is decent. I figured we could go there and stretch our legs a little bit." Scott was trying to keep the subject material light, so as to not upset his already stressed father.

"Yeah, after we get our coffee…there is something I need to tell you." Jeff grimaced as he broached the subject. This was really the last thing he wanted to talk about, but he knew his oldest son could better explain it to his younger brothers without hurting their feelings. It would undoubtedly rile Scott up though when he discovers that Alan had been dealing with this for a while and hadn't said anything to anybody.

"Why after we get our coffee?" Scott was puzzled. He didn't know why his dad was setting a schedule for discussing Alan and whatever was so important.

"Because I know you won't be too happy when you hear what I am about to tell you. That and I would like to get a coffee, before we walk over to the park to discuss the matter." Jeff looked at Scott, trying to convey how important the subject was, but not wanting to reveal too much.

"Okay, well then let's go." Scott placed his hand on his dad's back and guided the Tracy patriarch forward through the front doors of the hospital lobby and outside into the cold winter air. Father and son walked side by side remaining quiet as both were lost within their thoughts.

_'How am I going to explain this to Scott? I don't even have proof that what Alan said was true. All I have is his word, that and the phone call from the headmaster saying that Alan received detention for his use of colorful language and passing notes in class. Please Lucy, provide me with the wisdom to explain this correctly to Scott. I don't want to hurt him or any of his brothers and please help us overcome this catastrophe. I want Alan and Fermat to get better so that they can both come home. Lucy, please guide us to find justice for Alan and Fermat and locate whoever caused this fire and hurt our boys. Hear my prayer sweetheart, please for the sake of our sons, help Alan overcome this.' _Jeff looked towards the sky and watched the beginning of a late afternoon/early evening snowfall. Scott on the other hand stared straight ahead, the thought of what his dad wanted to tell him weighing heavily on his mind.

_'What could dad have to say that is so important? How does it involve Alan? What am I not being told? Also, who in the hell is Robert? Why was Allie mumbling "leave me alone" and "don't touch me"? I hope dad has the answers to Alan's cryptic behavior. Oh, mom. Please hear my prayer and give me the strength to help Alan and the guys recover from this event. I can't stand seeing my baby brother lying in a hospital bed, nor can I stand to see dad and the guys so out of touch. Johnny hasn't been sleeping and I know Virge didn't sleep as well as he claimed to last night. Gordy is depressed, and I want to see him smile again. I swear I won't try to wring his neck next time he pulls a prank, anything to make everything feel normal again.' _Scott broke away from his thoughts upon realizing they had walked the five minute jaunt to the coffee shop, and held the door open for his dad who entered before stamping the snow off his shoes.

Stepping up to the counter, both Scott and Jeff ordered a regular coffee, as Scott wasn't too fond of the flavors they added to enhance the taste. Jeff had preferred coffee with cream and no sugar, but he was wondering if he would like it black. It would certainly make it strong enough. Scott paid for their purchase and they both turned and walked out of the shop. Father and son walked side by side once again, Jeff trying to gather his thoughts and figure out how to explain Alan's sleep ramblings and the possible attempt of arson at Alan's school very nearly claiming Alan and Fermat's life and Scott trying to decipher Alan's creepy sleep rant. Reaching a sealed off smoker's gazebo, Scott and Jeff entered taking shelter from the snow within the empty outbuilding. The spacious area was lit up and Scott turned to his dad and noticed the troubled look on his face. Jeff looked at Scott, before straightening his posture and motioning for Scott to take a seat.

After sitting down, Jeff placed his untouched coffee on the bench beside him. He gazed at his feet, gathering what nerve he had and began to form a sentence that he hoped was clear. Scott mimicked his dad's actions and placed his partially touched coffee on the table beside the bench, tracing the rim of the lid with his index finger. He looked directly at his father to see his piercing blue eyes staring directly back at him.

"Scott, there is something you should know. What you are about to hear will probably make you mad, but there isn't any other way to say this. However, I want you to promise me that you will not get mad at Alan for not saying anything sooner. He is already going through so much and I don't want this to harm his recovery in any way." Jeff watched the blood drain from Scott's face, and knew it was now too late to avoid this conversation.

"I promise dad, but what is it?" Scott leaned forward, placing his hand on his dad's knee, seeking the information from the only sole party who was able to explain. Jeff closed his eyes, unable to look at Scott as he uttered the words no parent or older sibling wanted to hear.

"Alan told me of a kid who picked on…bullied your brother. According to Alan, this kid was the boy involved in the passing notes fiasco in class the other day. You remember, don't you? Alan was given detention for passing notes in class and using a colorful vocabulary." Jeff paused, and waited until Scott nodded for him to continue explaining. "Apparently this boy, Robert had issued a couple threats to Alan and the last note sent by Alan was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back." Jeff stopped and looked down at his feet. Telling Scott this was harder than it seemed to be.

"Okay, so back up. Alan was bullied and he never told anybody? How long has this been going on?" Scott's frown grew in size and he felt dismayed at what he was being told.

"Yes, he was bullied. Alan told me his name is Robert Flynn, and he had a problem with your brother. It had apparently involved some sort of competition that Alan and a group of boys were required to take part in. Alan's group won 1st place and this Robert Flynn came in 3rd." Jeff paused to take a drink of his coffee. He held the cup in his hand, and watched Scott's expression change from dismay to anger. Jeff wasn't happy about what he was going to say next. "Apparently this whole debacle started when Mr. Flynn accused Alan of paying off the judges in this little competition. Alan defended himself accordingly and Mr. Flynn continued harassing your brother for several weeks following this competition."

Scott had a sour look on his face. He was mad, but most definitely not at Alan. He was mad at this Robert Flynn who felt it was appropriate to accuse a fellow classmate and his baby brother of cheating and to go so far as to harass Alan daily for several weeks. Of course Scott was hurt that Alan hadn't felt it was necessary to tell him of the bullying, but what about telling a teacher or the headmaster?

"How did he harass Allie?" Scott spoke, but he barely recognized his own voice. It was choked with emotion. Jeff watched as Scott took a couple deep breathes to calm his temper, and hoped that Scott wouldn't fly off the handle too badly at what he was about to be told.

"Threats." Jeff watched Scott's face pale slightly before it became red. Scott was becoming infuriated, and it showed. Jeff didn't flinch, but he directed a cold gaze at Scott that held the message of 'stand down' deep within his eyes. Scott apparently got the message loud and clear because he took another calming breath, before nodding at Jeff to continue.

"What kind of threats?" Scott whispered his question, and Jeff barely heard it, but answered regardless.

"According to Alan, they began as empty 'watch your back' threats. But they gradually began to increase in intensity ranging from being shoved around and tripped." Jeff paused to take another drink of his coffee before continuing to speak. "Alan said the afternoon the headmaster called to inform me of Alan's detention, was when the harassment escalated to death threats as well as becoming more physical." Jeff looked at Scott carefully gauging his eldest son's temper. It had effectively been tamped down by the disturbing news.

"What do you mean by death threats? What happened?" Scott locked his fingers together and just stared unseeingly at the floor. He was shocked at what Alan had suffered before the fire occurred.

"Well, the death threats were supposedly the real reason why Alan and Robert were sent to the headmaster's. They both received detention for their transgressions and were dismissed with the warning that their parents would be contacted and informed of the argument. Alan had left the headmaster's office and stopped by the restroom. He said he was using the facilities when Robert entered the restroom and confronted him. Alan said Robert told him if "he wanted to live he would give Robert what was rightfully his". Alan refused, and Robert grabbed Alan by the shoulders and drug him into one of the stalls where he proceeded to beat your brother up and shove his head into the toilet." Jeff felt his ire rise as he recalled everything Alan had told him. It infuriated him that the headmaster had allowed it to happen in the first place.

"So let me get this straight, here this Robert kid has been issuing threats to Alan, and at first they are easy to ignore threats with no backbone. Then they gradually escalate to death threats and all this Robert kid gets is a detention? Why does that sound so wrong? I mean if Allie was the recipient of these threats, then wouldn't that make him a victim? Why would he receive detention if he is the victim?" Jeff realized that this was another issue to take up with the headmaster.

Scott was right, if Alan had been receiving these threats daily that would make him a victim, not a suspect, so why would he have gotten detention in the first place? Jeff realized that speaking to Scott might have actually been beneficial to his argument with the headmaster. Alan didn't need to get detention if he was merely defending himself.

"You make a plausible point Scott." Jeff praised Scott before pausing again.

"So what else happened with Alan and this Robert kid?" Scott casually crossed a leg over the other before picking up his cup of coffee.

"Right, so after Robert beat up your brother in the restroom, Alan went back to the headmaster to report having been beaten up by Robert. Alan said the headmaster refused to listen to his complaint and practically turned him away at the door. Alan then met up with Fermat, and they went back to the dorms. It was around that time that I lectured Alan on the vid-phone and he hung up. A little while later they went to dinner in the cafeteria. And following eating dinner, Robert confronted Alan outside the dorms." Jeff knew his explaining was almost done, but now he just wanted to contact the headmaster and see if a copy of the note written between Alan and Robert was made.

"So, did Alan say if there were any witnesses to the second confrontation with Robert?" Scott hoped that maybe Fermat was present during the confrontation so maybe he could ask him what he knew about the entire skirmish with both boys, when he got better of course.

"I highly doubt he would have noticed any witnesses, even if he tried. Alan said that Robert wrestled him to the ground before kneeing him in the stomach and he said he spent the next few minutes being sick in the bushes. Alan said while he was on his knees, Robert issued another death threat before leaving. Alan said he went to bed shortly thereafter because his stomach was hurting. It was a little while later that he woke up to his and Fermat's rooms being filled with flames." Jeff gently bit the knuckle of his thumb. He had finally told Scott all that Alan had told him about the argument, the bullying and threats. Jeff was surprised that Scott took it so well, but he felt that it was because he had gotten his son alone to explain.

Scott and Jeff sat in silence, both absorbing and reabsorbing the information that had just been discussed. Scott was disappointed that Alan hadn't said anything sooner about his bully, but he could understand. Being a growing boy himself at one time, he knew how it felt to feel like one should hide being bullied. He had done it when he was Alan's age, as had all of his younger brothers.

_'I feel like I let Allie down though. I am supposed to be the older brother that he should be able to come to in order to talk about how to resolve things like this…or at least one of the other guys. How could none of us have seen this? Gordo and Alan are quite close, how is it that Gordon didn't pick up any of the vibes? He and Alan being close have always given them this odd knowledge of how the other is feeling. What could have made Alan feel as though he couldn't tell us about this? I'll have to talk to him sometime about this.' _Scott rubbed his forehead in frustration as he thought. Scott stood and knelt before his dad, catching his father's gaze.

"We should probably be getting back to the hospital dad. They haven't called us or anything, but I can't imagine that Alan will be staying awake for much longer. I want to tell him good night and go meet up with the guys for a bit. What do you say we head out?" Scott offered his hand to his dad and pulled him up on his feet. While he smiled at his dad, Scott was inwardly kicking himself; he felt that he had let Alan down by not protecting him better from the bully. He would have to sit down and talk this over with his brothers to try to come up with a way to talk to Alan about this. They would need to make sure he understands that should it ever happen again, he come straight to them or someone else to report it before it escalates like this one did.

"I suppose so. Alan should be done with his dressing changes by now." Jeff glanced at his watch to see the hour and a half dressing change had ended five minutes earlier. As if planned, Jeff cell phone rang. Glancing at it, he recognized the number as being Dr. Andreessen at the nurse station in the burn ward. He answered quickly. "This is Jeff." Scott and Jeff stepped out of the covered outbuilding at the park and walked while Jeff spoke on the phone.

"Good afternoon Jeff. This is Dr. Andreessen. I was calling to inform you that Alan is finished with his dressing changes and is currently resting." Jeff nodded his head. He wondered how Alan was doing pain wise. Dr. Andreessen continued speaking. "If you or your son wish to visit him, might I recommend you show up within the next thirty minutes? Visiting hours will be closing and I am not permitted to allow people past the ward door after 5 PM. However, if you are in there before visiting hours close you can be in there for as long as you want." Jeff checked his watch to confirm they had time to walk back to the hospital before the close of visiting hours.

"Thank you Dr. Andreessen. Scott and I should be there within the next ten minutes. We'll see you soon." Jeff had a small smile on his face at the thought of visiting his baby boy again before departing for the evening.

"See you soon, Jeff. I'm sure Alan will appreciate seeing you again. Good Bye." Dr. Andreessen disconnected the call and Jeff pocketed his phone before picking up his pace a little, before a thought crossed his mind.

"Do you think we should call the guys to see if they want to visit Alan as well? They left fairly early this afternoon." Scott shrugged his shoulders, before pulling out his own cell phone.

"Sure, let me call Virge. As far as I know John is asleep right now and Gordo is swimming." Scott dialed the speed dial for Virgil's cell phone and listened to it ring before a soft click was heard.

"Hey, Scott. What's up?" Scott stared at his phone to make sure he dialed Virgil's phone number. The person answering the phone certainly didn't sound like Virgil.

"John? What are you doing answering Virgil's phone?" Scott looked at his dad, before focusing on where he was walking. The sidewalk was icy in places and Scott really didn't want to slip and fall.

"I woke up about twenty minutes ago when Virgil and Gordon got back from swimming and ran to go get a soda from the vending machine around the corner and came back in to Virgil's cell ringing. He and Gordo are both sound asleep. I answered because I didn't want to wake them. So what's up?" John yawned slightly and it made Scott chuckle. John sounded more rested than he had the last time he had talked to him.

"I was calling to find out if you guys wanted to go visit Alan before visiting hours close. Dad and I are heading back to the hospital now to go visit." Scott spoke softly to John, fearing that Virgil's medic hearing would pick up the sound of Scott's voice and awaken him.

"Where are you and dad at? I thought you were at the hospital still." John sounded puzzled.

"We got kicked out of Alan's room so they could change his dressings an hour and a half ago. I got dad out of the hospital to go get a coffee and stretch our legs. We are heading back now to go visit Allie and were wondering if you guys wanted to join us." Scott thought about how his brothers would take the news that he would tell them a little bit later. Perhaps tomorrow he would tell them what his dad told him.

"As much as I would love to see Allie right now, I just don't have the heart to wake Virge and Gordo. They left to go swimming after convincing me to lay down for a bit and only just returned. They actually listened to me when I convinced them to take a nap themselves. The moment their heads hit the pillow they were out like a light. So I am afraid I am going to need to decline the invite to visit Allie." John's voice sounded sad, like he was upset at not being able to see his baby brother.

"I'm sure he'll understand Johnny. Don't worry, dad and I will let him know that Virge and Gords are asleep. Just hang out, and when dad, Brains and I are done we'll come get you guys and go get some dinner." Scott could see the hospital in the distance and smiled slightly at the thought of being able to see his baby brother again.

"Okay, Scotty. I appreciate you passing along the message to the sprout. Tell him we love him and to rest easy tonight." In the hotel room, John meandered around and approached the window. He gazed outside and noticed the sun beginning to go down, and how the dim orange glow illuminated to a dull purple glow. He gasped in awe at the beauty of the snowy evening. Slowly John turned back to look at his and Virgil's bed and watched his two younger brothers sleep peacefully.

"I'll be sure to do that Johnny. Bye, see you in a little bit." Scott pulled his free hand out of his coat pocket and held it out to catch a snowflake as he spoke with John. Several small snowflakes fell into his open palm and shone in bright contrast to his insulated black gloves.

"Bye Scott. See you soon." John and Scott hung up simultaneously, each brother watching the mesmerizing snowfall. As Jeff and Scott approached the hospital, a single thought passed through Jeff mind.

_'Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask the doctor if what I have in mind is possible. After all I got to spend a majority of the afternoon with Alan sitting by his bedside. Maybe Dr. Andreessen will make an exception just this once. Yeah, it couldn't hurt to ask.'_


End file.
